Third Time's the Charm
by Crispybaconlove
Summary: AU- The first two times Percy and Nico meet, there wasn't much room for interaction. But as the saying states, the third time's the charm. What will happen on their third encounter? Slash, Nico/Percy.
1. First Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJatO franchise and probably never _ever _will. The property belongs to Rick Riordan, the best Percy Jackson author of all time (and also, the only one). This piece of - er, work - is purely for the entertainment of others and naturally my own. I am merely borrowing the names of the characters and bending them to my will to create this story.**

**A/N: This is for Takara Phoenix's contest. As requested, I am writing a Nico/Percy slash story. Sigh, it took all of my time and I couldn't update my other story "Life is, but a Series of Steps." But, here it is. Finally. This is not going to be very long, like around four to five chapters or so. I didn't plan much and once I get this out of my system, I will go back to my other story. **

**Summary: AU- The first two times Percy and Nico meet, there wasn't much room for interaction. But as the saying states, the third time's the charm. What will happen on their third encounter? Slash, Nico/Percy.**

**Warning: Language, Some Violence, and OOCness. This is an AU, mind you, so there are no gods and goddesses. Everyone is a regular, old human being, which makes everything so much easier. Slash, obviously, so beware of the explicitness that is to come. You have been warned. Mentions of sex, but not exactly explicit.  
**

**Rating: M (for later chapters)**

* * *

**Third Time's the Charm**

**I. First Time  
**

* * *

"Welcome to The Trident. My name is Percy and I will be your waiter today," he greeted the man, handing him a menu, before continuing with, "What would you like to order today?" The customer scanned the card briefly and replied, "I would like the usual, Perce. You don't have to be so formal around me, you know."

Percy smiled and tucked the menu under his arm, scribbling onto the notepad. "But, regulations are regulations, Ethan. You know that. It comes with the job."

Ethan shook his head and chuckled lowly, "Yeah yeah, Perce. You always say that. When's your shift over?"

"I think around 8 PM today," Percy answered, before adding cheekily, "Your meal will arrive shortly, sir." He quickly bowed and slowly walked away, towards the kitchen. Percy laid the ticket down and picked up the dish nearest to him.

"The usual for Ethan, Grover, and which table is this for?"

Grover's head popped out for a brief moment. He wiped the sweat off his brow with a white towel and glanced at the dish carefully. "That's for Table Two and guess who it's for?"

"Who?" Percy asked, surprised. Grover almost never talked about any of the customers, not even the rude ones. He just kept quiet, all the time.

"Guess."

Percy narrowed his eyes and peered past his shoulder. None of the guests were looking restless yet, but then again, most of them are very good at hiding their emotions. _'And then, the_y _complain when I arrive with their food. Like it was my fault, I was detained. By the Gods, I hope this is good. I don't want to be scolded. Again. Triton already had to yell at me once.' _

"Just tell me," he said impatiently. "I don't have much time."

Grover stuck out his bottom lip in a slight pout, muttering, "Waiters, they're always in a hurry."

"What? It's my job on the line. I already got yelled by Triton yesterday. So, who's the hot one at Table Two?"

Grover blushed, "It's Juniper. She works at the local florist shop, Demeter's Garden, and she is, like, the cutest little thing ever." Percy chuckled and peeked over his shoulder at Table Two. Sitting all alone was a girl with brown hair and green highlights. She was kind of pretty in a plain way, but Percy could see why Grover liked her. She was exactly his best friend's type, cute, petite, and a plant lover, judging from her job at a florist's shop.

"So, you got it bad, huh, you bad boy?" Percy teased. Grover shook his head, stammering incoherently. The waiter just shook his head and walked away. _'He got it bad, alright. Grover _never _acts like that around girls. Or, make that any girl,' _he mused. _'I hope sh_e _is as nice as her face. Maybe, she'll be good match for him.' _

Percy arrived at Table Two in record time, balancing the porcelain dish on his palm delicately.

"Your order, miss." He set the plate onto the table, sliding it in front of the girl. Percy smiled softly and asked, "May I get you anything else?"

The girl looked at him, blinking owlishly, before shaking her head and replying, "That would be all for today. Thank you," she paused to look at his name tag, "Percy." His smile widened and he bowed. _'She's sounds polite alright,' _he thought, as he walked towards the kitchen. On his way back, he stopped at Table Seven to clear away their main course dishes and jotted down their requested drink.

"Grover," he addressed, stopping in front of the chef's window. "Is Ethan's order ready?" Grover's head appeared again and he nodded briefly, pushing the dish out to the waiter. Then, he disappeared into the kitchen again.

Percy took the plate and carefully poised it onto his palm. He brought the plate to Ethan at Table Ten and set the dish down gently. Then, he asked the other if he wanted something else and received a shake of his head as a no. Percy nodded politely and bowed. He turned and headed towards the little bar that was tucked in the back corner of the restaurant. Upon seeing the bartender, Frank Zhang, the boy grinned.

"How's it going, Frank?" The other turned around to look at the waiter and smiled. He dropped the mixer he was holding softly onto the counter and leaned forward on his elbows.

"Doing great actually. How about you, Perce?" he asked in return. Percy rested his elbows onto the counter as well and sighed, "Its fine. Ethan's here again."

"He probably wants some advice on how to seduce that guy again. What was his name? Alba- Ala-"

"Alabaster," Percy continued for him. Frank nodded, "That's the one. Is he cute? I never met him."

Percy shrugged, "Who knows? All Nakamura does is talk on and on about the guy and his nice ass, but he never showed me the guy's face."

"Well, he must be if that's how Nakamura is acting." Percy snorted and leaned in closer to whisper into Frank's ear, "Grover's got it bad, too."

"Oh, yeah?"

"You see that girl at Table Two," Percy paused to point. "He's gushing over the girl." Frank snickered and glanced at the clock for a moment.

"You better get back to work," he reminded. Percy sighed.

"Yeah. Can you mix me a Kamikaze [1]?"

"I'll be right on it," Frank replied. He bent down to scoop up some ice and slid the cubes into the shaker. The Asian measured the vodka, lime juice, and liqueur carefully and poured the liquids into the shaker. He twisted the top on and shook the container thoroughly, mixing the contents inside. Once the Asian was satisfied, he uncapped the top and strained the drink into a chilled martini glass. Frank smiled and garnished the cocktail with a lime wedge. He slid the glass gently over to Percy, who thanked him and took the glass back over to Table Seven, apologizing for the wait. Then, he bowed and left for the kitchen once again when he heard the ring of the bell.

"Which table is this for?" he asked Luke, the other chef. Percy glanced around for Grover, but didn't seem to find him. The boy shrugged and guessed that his best friend was on a break.

"Table Five, Perce," the blonde grinned. "Grover's on a break, by the way, though you probably already figured it out. He's out back, daydreaming about the one he calls Juniper." The other chuckled and continued on sautéing the mushrooms in his pan.

"You shouldn't laugh, you know," Percy advised sagely. "You act like that to with Annabeth." The waiter grabbed the plate and smirked when he saw a growing blush tainting the blonde's fair skin. He snickered softly and stepped gracefully over to Table Five.

"Your meal, sir," he beamed, placing the dish in front of the customer. "Is there anything else you would like to order?" When the guest shook his head no, Percy nodded and bowed lowly. "Alright then, please enjoy your meal and have a wonderful evening."

Percy glanced around and noticed a small group of three or four people standing near the door. He smiled. _'More customers. Best not keep them waiting.' _He signaled to Rachel, the other waitress that he was taking the newly arrived customers and took off gracefully towards them.

"A table for four?" he asked with a charming smile. One of the customers, a blonde, nodded and replied, "Yes. We had a reservation."

"Your name, sir?"

The blonde grinned, his sky blues eyes sparkling, "Jason Grace."

"Alright then, Mr. Grace, if you would please wait a moment, there is something I have to check. It will not take long." Percy smiled and walked over to the cash register. He leaned over the counter to look at the cashier. A petite girl with red hair and glasses sat on a tall stool stared back at him. The waiter smiled.

"Hey, Ella."

"Hi, Percy," the girl answered meekly. "Is there something you need?"

"Can you check to make sure if there is a reservation for a Jason Grace for four people please?" Ella nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. Percy knew that the girl was shifting through her memories, trying to locate the reservations with her photographic memory.

"Jason Grace called in at 2:37 to make a reservation for four people at 6 PM," she responded, opening her eyes again. Percy thanked the girl and glided back to the waiting customers with a stack of menus under his arm.

"Mr. Grace, right this way, please," he urged, extending a hand. He led them to Table Six and helped them into their seats.

"Welcome to the Trident. My name is Percy and I will be your waiter tonight," he greeted, handing each guest a menu card. Percy waited patiently, as the four customers scanned through the menus. The guests, for some reason, looked strikingly familiar to him, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had met them before. _'This is one of the reasons why I wish I had Ella's photographic memory,' _he sighed. _'Then maybe, I could remember where I have met these people.'_

"Are you ready to order?" Percy asked after a while. He had left momentarily to assist another table and had arrived back at Table Six. Percy still couldn't figure out where he had met these people and the thinking was starting to hurt his mind._ 'Annabeth was right,' _he thought. _'I should really leave all of the thinking to her. It hurts.'_

"Yes," another boy replied. Percy turned his head to look at the speaker and his voice stuck in his throat. Sitting in front of him was an olive-skinned Adonis. He had wind-swept hair that was styled in an I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look with a fringe of hair just covering one of his eyes. And, his eyes, Percy could almost feel himself being pulled into those stunningly dark depths of black. He averted his eyes carefully away from the Greek god and focused them on another part of the boy's body.

Percy gulped and felt himself flush when his eyes inadvertently found focus on the other's chest. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with the first three buttons left open and the the sleeves folded up into the crook of his elbow. A black silk tie was lazily tied around his neck, doing nothing to obscure his toned, tan neck. Percy blushed even harder and cleared his throat, trying to tone down his blush.

"What would you like to order tonight?" he asked, luckily without a quiver in his voice. His pen wavered on top on the notepad nervously, as he stood uncomfortably, waiting with his hormones flailing wildly.

After what felt like an eternity, the Adonis replied, "I would like the Seafood Spaghetti." Percy nodded and quickly wrote down the order, trying to keep his hand from shaking. _'Oh, by the gods, he's Italian.' _He always had a thing for a guy with accents. This customer had the most velvety voice he had ever heard. _'What would I give to have him speak to me during sex. Oooh.' _

"And, anything for you, sir?" he inquired, turning to the blonde, Jason Grace, if he remembered correctly. The blonde scratched his chin thoughtfully and closed the menu.

"One Fish and Chips with extra tartar sauce," ordered the blonde.

"Alright then," Percy said, writing down the order. He turned to look at the person sitting next to the blonde. _'Jason,' _he idly reminded himself, despite knowing fully well that he would forget the boy's name by the end of the day. The waiter glanced over at the person beside Jason and found himself to be staring.

The guest was a girl in her late teens or early twenties. She was quite pretty with her dark eyes and equally dark hair, but the girl wasn't his type. Not _any _girl would be his type _ever. 'I am gay, after all. As straight as a circle as Annabeth put it.' _But even despite his sexual orientation, Percy still had some respect for the other sex. _'The girl is kind of pretty as far as much girls go, but there's something about her that is very striking.' _Percy let his eyes wander for a moment, meeting up with the olive-skinned boy's eyes and found his answer. _'They must be related,'_ he thought, before inwardly frowning, _'Boy, would Annabeth laugh at me for finally figuring that out. Those two have a pretty strong resemblance. Anyways, I should get back to waiting on them.'_

"Anything for you, miss?"

The girl nodded, "I would like what my brother, Nico, had. One Seafood Spaghetti for me please."

Percy inwardly did his signature happy dance and grinned at the girl, not bothering to hid the brilliant shine. What the girl did not know was that she had involuntarily helped him improve his imagination for when he was alone with only himself and his hands._ 'Nico is such a sexy name. Ooh, I could imagine all the possibilities, but not now, there still one more person left.'_

"And for you?"

"Actually I would like the same as Jason, an order of Fish and Chips," the last guest replied. She was a pretty girl with folder blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Percy could tell that she had to be a movie star or at least some kind of model. There was that kind of aura around her.

"Is there any specific sauce you would like with your dish?" Percy pressed. The girl glanced briefly at the menu, before shrugging.

"What would you suggest?"

Percy stared thoughtfully into the ceiling, pondering the question, before looking down at the girl with a smile, "My personal favorite is what Mr. Grace had ordered, the tartar sauce. I personally like the tangy taste that the sauce gives to the fish and the chips when dipped in generously. The curry sauce is also good, too, if you like the spiciness. The beef mustard or the honey mustard is another excellent choice. Many of the other customers have praised it to be the best because of its sweet, yet tangy and slightly sour taste. I can't really suggest anything for you; miss, since it's really your choice." He paused and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "But if you can't really decide, then I can have the chef equally divide all of the sauces out and you can try them all to see which one you like best." He backed up to where he stood before and waited for the girl's answer.

She smiled gratefully and said, "I'll take up on your offer, but it won't bother the chef too much, will it?"

Percy shook his head, "Nah, he loves doing meticulous things like this. He's just one of those people who love to be careful and exact about everything."

"Alright then, please send my regards to the chef."

"Your meal will arrive shortly," Percy continued. "Can I interest you in a drink beforehand?" All four of them shook their heads and Percy took his leave. He sauntered to the chef's window and shouted, "Two Seafood Spaghettis and two Fish and Chips. One of the F&C will be served with extra tartar sauce, while the other is to be served with the whole lot of sauce, in equal servings, of course."

"Gotcha, Perce," Luke answered, his voice carried from deep inside the kitchen.

"You might want to call in Grover and the twins," Percy suggested. "This is four dishes and I am certain they're going to eat more than just main courses."

"Grover! Connor! Travis! Get back in here!" Luke yelled. Loud footsteps followed and three heads popped into the window. Two blondes, along with Grover, appeared and grinned.

"What's up, Perce?" the twins greeted in unison.

"Well, there is two orders for Seafood Spaghetti and two orders for Fish and Chips. Do you think you can handle it?"

The two blondes look at Percy and placed a hand over their heart, as if wounded. "How dare you think so lowly of us? We can definitely handle four measly dishes."

"No messing with the guests' food," Percy warned. "Or, I'll sic Triton on you. Again." The twins pouted and nodded sullenly.

"Stolls!" Luke barked. They immediately tensed and stood straighter.

"Coming," they both replied, jumping back into the kitchen with slightly shaking bodies. They knew how scary Luke was when he was made waiting.

Percy shook his head and scanned across the restaurant. A hand was raised over at Ethan's table and Percy instantly walked over. "How may I help you?"

"I would like a glass of red wine, Perce," Ethan sighed, ruffling his dark hair with a hand. "I think I need a drink to wash everything away."

"Is there a specific brand of red wine you would like, Ethan?" And when the Japanese shook his head, Percy frowned. "What's wrong? Your feelings stressing you out?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I was thinking of confessing to Alabaster tonight, you know, at the club where he works, but as the day wore on, I can't pluck up the courage to even step foot into the club. Percy, what am I to do?" he moaned in defeat. The waiter glanced down at his friend and bit his bottom lip in thought, "How about I come to the club with you tonight? You did ask me for when my shift is over, right? I can go with you if you'd like."

"Thanks, Perce. I was counting on that," Ethan said, "Hopefully with you by my side, I'll be able to confess."

Percy snorted, "You better. If that guy makes you heads over heels in love, then you better hurry or else, you'll lose him. I guess, I'll see you after my shift is over." He turned to leave, before adding, "Your drink will arrive shortly. Don't stress over this confessing thing too much. We'll burn the bridge once we get there, so suit up Nakamura, you still have a few hours to wait." Then, he left for Frank's bar and left the Japanese man alone at his table. A moment later, he appeared at the table with a glass of red wine. Percy gently set the glass in front of Ethan and warned, "Don't drink too much. And also, Frank sends my sympathy."

"Zhang knows?" the Japanese groaned.

"Don't worry." Percy waved his hand dismissively. "He's not going to make fun of you or anything. And, I kind of roped him into helping."

Ethan perked up, "Really? Is he going to come with us later?"

Percy shrugged, "You can ask him later if you want. I don't really have the time." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "There is still around two hours in my shift left and I have to close up today." The bell suddenly rang insistently and Percy groaned. "Oh well, I better go. Just hold on for a little while more. I'll be back."

Without waiting for the other to reply, he walked towards the window and found four plates waiting for him to deliver. Percy quickly grabbed a tray and carefully placed the four dishes onto the surface. He picked up the tray in hand, balancing it on his palm, and glided over to Table Six.

"Your orders are ready," he announced, laying each plate in front of the guest who had ordered. His eyes lingered a little too long on Nico's body and he blushed, smiling brightly to force down the burning sensation on his cheeks. "May I interest you in anything else?"

"Um.. no," Jason, the blonde, replied. "I think we're all set. Thank you." Percy nodded and he sauntered away from the table towards the raised hand of another guest off to the side of the restaurant. He sucked in a breath of air and released it, calming his turbulent hormones from overriding him at his job, and greeted, "How may I help you?"

. . .

The business hours of the restaurant passed rather quickly and Percy found himself taking out the trash and preparing to lock up. Everyone else with the exception of himself and Frank had already left for home, so it was his duty to clear the trash. _'Why can't Luke, or the twins, or Grover do this? By the gods, I'm just the waiter.' _

He heaved the black trash bag into the large bin and dusted his hands off. The boy wrinkled his nose in distaste at the pungent odor and stepped away from the bin. He stretched his arms and cracked his neck for help with the tensed muscles and reached for the door. Percy jiggled the knob lightly and froze in his step when he heard the sound of loud footsteps down the alley. He craned his head to pick up more of the noise and found that the footsteps were getting louder and louder. His eyes widened, _'They're coming my way.' _

A shout echoed through the dark alley, the words lost in the wind. Percy turned around to find the owner of the voice and found himself staring at a gang of burly men. One of them was holding onto a small, impish boy with a knife threateningly pressed again his neck. Percy stiffened and clenched his fist when he noticed just who the boy was.

"Leo?" he mouthed, crouching behind the trash bin to hide his presence. A whimper erupted from the captured boy and Percy cringed. He nimbly slinked over to the door and opened it, letting himself in. Percy ran into the restaurant, bypassing Frank cleaning his drinks, and opened the front door. He sprinted out of the door and cut the corner into the other side of the alley. He stilled his footsteps and soundlessly shuffled over to the gang. Percy hid behind a crate and peeked over to the side. He saw that the gang didn't see his entrance and smirked. The boy silently tiptoed over to the closest gang member and incapacitated the man with a quick strike to the man's head, just above the neck. The man's body fell to the ground with a thud, and causing all of the other members to turn around.

Immediately as the first casualty dropped to the ground, Percy swung his fist and caught another member off guard, sending him flying back. He kicked another and kneed the next. A particularly bold person lunged forward with a poorly timed fist and tried to land a blow on Percy's body. But before the man could even comprehend what was happening, the boy caught the incoming fist in his hand without breaking a sweat and brought down his elbow, making man cry out in pain. Percy smirked when he heard a satisfying crack and released his hold on the man. He fell back, cradling his arm, and cried out in pain, staring at Percy with a terrified expression. The boy grinned wickedly in return and faced the other gang members.

"Who's next?" he taunted, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. They all growled and one by one, they charged forward with either a fist or a weapon of some sort. Percy with his lithe figure and wiry muscles managed to dodge or sidestep every attempt to land a hit on his body and returned an equally heavy blow of his own. Each man fell back; clutching whatever had been struck, and began to beg for their mercy. A few even crawled up and praised him on their knees, hoping for him to left them off easy._ 'Yeah, like I will every do that,'_ Percy snorted. _'They didn't give Leo any mercy, so why should I give them that right? It's only fair, after all.'_

"Wow, you guys are really wimps," Percy commented, stepping nimbly around the either unconscious or injured bodies. "I figured you guys could do better if you managed to hold a knife against my friend there, not counting that you had an advantage with your bigger number. Gangs are not made as they used too anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Percy peered over to look at the man who was still stubbornly holding Leo captive._ 'I beat up his gang members and he is still keeping Leo at knife-point. What does it take to get through to the guy?' _

Sighing again, his eyes scanned the area, looking for an opening of some sort to attack the man, before landing on a stone that lay innocently on the cobbled ground. He secretly smirked to himself, hiding the upturned lip from the last gang member to avoid alert him, and shuffled closer to the piece of flat rock. Percy obscured the stone from view with his sneaker and stared determinedly at the leader. The hand holding the knife began to waver and shake under his intense gaze, but the man, himself, did not move to release his friend. Percy sighed again for the third time and grinned when the sound elicited a shudder from the man. The knife at Leo's neck trembled and Percy waited no longer. With all of his might, the boy kicked the stone and with deadly accuracy, it hit the man's wrist, causing him to drop the blade.

Leo sent a thankful look to Percy, before elbowing his captor hard in the stomach, sending him backwards with a grunt. The gang leader clutched at his abdomen, glowering at the impish Latino, who as bounding over to Percy.

"Percy," he cried, holding out his arms to wrap around the taller boy's neck. Percy gladly accepted the embrace and hugged his friend tight.

"Are you alright?" he asked, after breaking the hug. His eyes roved over his friend's body to check for any injuries and released a relieved breath when no injury appeared.

"Yeah, no worries, Perce."

"No worries?" Percy practically exploded with anger, his previous mood forgotten. "No worries? That bastard could have seriously hurt you. Not only that, but Nyssa, Jake, and Beckendorf would kill me until I die."

Leo snorted, "Kill you until you die? Wouldn't you already be dead?"

"S-shut up," Percy stammered. "That's not the point here. You could have been seriously injured and I'm worried for you."

"I know," Leo said, looking down at the ground, kicking at the cement. "But, they were making fun of my dad and how he was a crippled. I couldn't stand them saying that about him, so I messed with their motorcycles. And, I got caught."

"You got caught," Percy repeated. "I thought Luke and the twins taught you better than that." He ran a hand through his hair. "That doesn't matter. Nothing matters as long as you're alright." Leaning in closer, he asked, "What did you do to them anyways?"

"I rewired their engines to backfire on them and took out the parts that I liked." He fished out a few nuts and bolts from his pocket, along with some metal gears and parts with an imp-like smile. Percy chuckled and shook his head.

"I figured you did something like that. Anyways, come into the restaurant. I'll get you something to drink."

"What about them?" Leo wondered, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the downed men.

"Those scum?" Percy scoffed. "I guess I'll leave them here." He grabbed Leo's hand and led him away from the alley. The boy opened the back door and pushed Leo inside, following a moment later, and locking the door behind him with a sound click without looking back once.

. . .

A pregnant silence surrounded the dark alley with only a few pained groans echoing around. The leader knelt on the cold ground with his hands in his lap, gazing at the place where Percy once stood.

"Who was that boy?" he snarled. None of his men answered, shuffling nervously.

He growled, releasing an animal-like sound similar to that of a grizzly bear. "I asked you a question! Answer me, you fucking sons of a bitch!"

A squeak echoed through the empty space. Mumbled, incoherent words followed and a vein popped on the leader's forehead. "What the fuck did you say? Speak louder, you asshole!"

"P-Percy Jackson, boss. He's the s-son of the crime lord P-Poseidon." The leader blanched, as he felt dread fill his heart. _'Oh, shit.'_

* * *

**And, that is it for this chapter. I will try to update the next chapter as soon as I can.**

**[1]Kamikaze- The Kamikaze is a drink made of equal parts of vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), and lime juice. It is also called the Bullfrog and is the more sophisticated version of the Kamikaze shot (look that up). -Taken from Wikipedia and .com. (I don't really know what to do with links, so just take out the () and replace it with whatever's inside.  
**

**Please look out for the next chapter called, "Second Time."  
**


	2. Second Time (part one)

**Disclaimer: I do not own the awesomeness that is the Percy Jackson series. All credit goes to Rick Riordan, who created the characters, plot, and storyline. I am just one of the thousands of fanfiction writers who are merely borrowing the names of the characters for our own entertainment and the entertainment of others. Nor, do I own Twilight.  
**

**A/N: Well, this chapter took longer than I had expected. But, I had to write out another chapter for my other story, so maybe, I had my hopes up too high. Anyways, I was really impressed by the number of favorites and follows. Reviews, not so much, but that is always expected for me. I just hope that in this chapter there might be more reviewers. And to those looking for Nico, have patience. He'll appear in the next chapters frequently, getting some action with Percy. *wink wink***

**Warnings: Slash, Language, Some Sexual Innuendos, Some Sexual Tension. XD  
**

**Progress: 2 out of possibly 4 or 5 chapters.**

* * *

** Third Time's the Charm**

**II. Second Time (part one)**

* * *

Percy took Leo into the restaurant and sat the boy down on a chair. He remained standing and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

"Perce, you don't have to use that polite waiter's voice on me," Leo replied. "And if it's not too much to ask, I would like a cup of coffee."

"Okay then, a cup of coffee, it is," Percy said. He paused and blushed when he realized he had involuntarily used his "waiter's voice," as Leo called it. "I guess old habits die hard. I'll try to fix that when I'm talking to you. I'll be right back with a cup. I think Frank is brewing some."

"Frank?" Leo repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Who's Frank?"

Percy smiled cheekily and answered, "You'll see. I'll bring him out to meet you. I think you might like him."

"Are you trying to set me up?" Leo inquired suspiciously.

Percy raised his hands in an innocent gesture. "I don't know what you're talking about, Valdez. I just want you to make new friends."

Leo snorted, "Yeah, sure you do."

Percy ignored the offhand comment and stepped away from the table, heading towards the little bar where Frank was. As the boy neared the counter, he saw the Asian bent over a pot of brewed coffee, pouring the dark content into two separate cups. Percy sped up and halted in front of the bartender.

"Hey, Frank," he greeted pleasantly. "Is there enough for another cup?"

Frank blinked and glanced at the coffee in his hand. "Yeah, plenty. Why? Is Ethan coming inside now, instead of waiting in the car like he said?"

"No," Percy replied, shaking his head. "A friend of mine, er... decided to drop in." He watched Frank closely to see if he had noticed his momentary stutter and relaxed when the Asian made no move to call him out.

Frank grabbed another cup and poured the coffee into it. Then, he gently added the creamer, which sat on top of the darker liquid, causing a sweet aroma. The bartender smiled and handed Percy a steaming cup, who eagerly sipped at the coffee, not minding the heat against his tongue. Any kind of water, no matter how diluted, always seemed to appeal to him.

"So, where to?" Frank asked. "Where is this friend of yours?" He sipped his coffee and licked his lips to chase the lingering taste._ 'Damn. I love coffee.'_

"He's waiting out front," Percy replied, turning to head back to Leo. Frank followed him, holding two steaming cups of coffee, one in each hand. Percy stepped into the front of the restaurant to where Leo was waiting and smirked when he saw that the Latino was tinkering with the objects he had nicked from the gang. The waiter turned around to see Frank's reaction, if there was any at all, and was satisfied with what he saw.

The Asian had frozen in his step with his mouth gaped open. A light crimson tinted his cheeks and Percy immediately knew that it wasn't because of the steam wafting from the drinks in his hands. Percy smirked, _'Perfect. Now, let's see Leo's reaction.'_

He whirled around to see that the tinkerer had stopped messing around and was looking up at them. Well by them, it was probably just Frank. The Latino boy had a prominent blush on his face with his eyes widened comically. He looked very adorable._ 'But sadly, I don't top,'_ Percy thought, before smiling smugly. _'Good. This is exceptionally good. Everything is going all according to plan.'_

Percy coughed, knocking both boys out of their stupor. They both shared a dark, scarlet flush at being caught staring and looked away. Percy chose to ignore the moment for his friends' sakes, even if it would have been funny to rib about it later. He glided over to the table gracefully, like a siren, and sat down in front of Leo.

"Hey, did you wait long?"

Leo blinked, "What? Oh. Ummm... No, I was just messing around with my tools. You didn't take that long."

Percy inwardly smirked at the slight stutter and felt satisfied that Frank had elicited such a reaction from the Latino boy. He opened his mouth to speak, but Frank's voice, which sounded too close for comfort, startled him, causing him to jump and kick the table with his knee. Hard.

"Fuck," he hissed. Alarmed, Frank quickly laid the cups onto the table and asked, "You alright?"

Percy nodded with a pointed glare, "Next time, don't startle me like that. It seriously hurts."

"Don't be such a wimp, Perce," Frank chided teasingly. Turning to Leo with a calm facade, he asked, "Who's this?"

"This is Leo Valdez," Percy introduced. "He's one of my friends. You know, the one I always talked about."

Frank furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "You mean, that guy you always said that was somewhat of a pyromaniac with his tinkering habits, the son of Hephaestus?"

"Yeah, that's me," Leo meekly replied. He held out his hand shakily and Frank gladly took the smaller hand in his larger one, shaking it with vigor. The two held hands for a moment, before they jolted apart, releasing their hold.

Percy quirked a curious eyebrow, "What? Did you guys have a cliché moment, where the sparks flew in between you guys?" From Leo's deepened blush and Frank's menacingly, he couldn't really tell, so he let the subject go.

"Anyways, Leo, this is Frank Zhang," he gestured over to the Asian boy, who smiled confidently. Leo squeaked and blushed even more, if that was possible. Percy pretended to take no notice and continued on, "Frank is a bartender here at the Trident."

He let his voice trail off, finding that he had nothing else to say about his friend without revealing too much. Percy wanted them to get to know one another one their own, by their own methods. He happily sipped at his drink distractedly and concentrated wholly on the drink.

An awkward silence followed Percy's drop form the conversation and Leo squirmed nervously in his seat. He avoided looking at the handsome Asian and glanced over at Percy, pleasing for assistance. The other boy took no notice and continued drinking his coffee with a blissful expression, fully ignorant of his surroundings. Leo sighed in defeat and plucked up the courage to turn to Frank. _'I guess it's up to me. Damn you, Perce. Damn you and your ADHD moments. Di immortales [1].'_

"Who is your parent?" he inquired bluntly and suddenly. Leo felt his mouth run with the question, before he could even consider rephrasing it a little differently. He blushed at his rudeness and tried again, "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as rude. If I did, then I apologize. But being one of Percy's friends, as you are, I am curious of your parentage. Is it alright to ask?" He had chosen his words carefully. It had sounded foreign even to his own ears. The words came to him almost as if he was trying to charmspeak the other, but it was a tradition, after all.

The Thirteen were the most powerful people in the Underworld. They sired a plentiful amount of children and most of the time, there was an animosity between them all. It was rather polite to ask of who their parents were and hope to have them reply than to offend them in the worst possible ways. Not a lot of the children birthed by the Thirteen were fond of who their parents are.

Leo gazed intently at Frank, who shook his head, dismissively. "I don't mind at all, _Leo_." He paused to smile charmingly at the tinkerer and was surprised to see the boy shaking slightly, but from what cause, he knew not. _'It's either that I had a massive effect on him or he's disgusted. But from his blush and the way he isn't meeting my eyes, I'll take the former.'_ Frank winked at the boy, earning him a shudder, before continuing, "My father is Ares. And as you probably already know, he is the one they bestow with the name, War God." That seemed to have knocked Leo out of his daze.

Leo blinked and held a scrutinizing eye over Frank. He wrinkled his nose impishly and narrowed his eyes, "You don't see like one of the ol' war hawks' kids."

"You don't look like one of the tinkerer's children, either," Frank smoothly countered in good humor.

"Touché," Leo commented. "But really, you aren't as how I imagined Ares' children to be like."

Frank raised an eyebrow, "And, what would that be?"

Leo shrugged, "I don't know, more muscular and rough-looking. Like a true gangster, I guess. He paused in the midst of his musing to see if he had offended the other, but was surprised to see a twinkle of amusement and a smirk on his enticing lips, which were absolutely _kissable_- He froze and reevaluated what he had just thought. Leo mentally shook his head to clear his naughty, naughty thoughts of Frank's lips and looked up to see him preparing to speak once again.

"I get that a lot," he admitted. "But, I don't mind, even though you were probably thinking of Clarisse LaRue, my half-sister." Frank grinned and continued, "Though, I could say the same thing about you. I always thought that Hephaestus' children were built like tanks with muscles and all that from the times you spend at the Forge."

"Well, that's Nyssa, Jake, and Beckerdorf, you're talking about," he corrected with a crooked grin. "I'm different. Muscles and body figure don't define us, you know. As long as we're good with our hands, that's all that matters."

"So, you're good with your hands, huh?" Frank wondered with a subtly smug grin. Leo nodded enthusiastically, not catching on the double meaning behind Frank's words. The Asian chuckled softly. _'Innocent and cute. How adorable.'_ He, then noticed a growing blush that had spread to his ears and he chuckled some more._ 'Guess, he isn't so innocent, after all.'_

"That's not what I meant!" he sputtered. Frank just stared at Leo, who continued to stammer more incoherent excuses, and laughed joyfully. Leo pouted for a moment, before joining in, his small frame shaking with mirth. They shared a good laugh together, before settling down with a silence. Leo had nothing else to say and Frank was making himself staring at the cute boy.

A soft clink interrupted their pseudo-staring contest and they both turned to the source. Percy had laid down his cup on the table and was staring at them, but not in the way Frank and Leo had gazed at each other. He had a smug smirk curling his lips and a victorious gleam in his sea-green eyes.

"So, I take it that you two have bonded, somewhat, right?"

Leo snorted, "Yeah, of course we did."

"Alright then," Percy said, choosing to ignore Leo's sarcastic tone of voice. He stood up. "Leo, do you want to accompany me, Frank, and Ethan to one of Dionysus's clubs?"

"Di immortales. Why didn't you mention that earlier, Perce? Nakamura has the sweetest ride ever. Only second to Festus, of course."

Percy laughed, "So, are you going?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Ethan's waiting in the car. We should hurry. We don't want to keep him waiting any longer. And he needs to take me home to change."

"Change?" Frank repeated. "You already look pretty hot in your waiter's outfit."

Percy pouted, "But, I want to look somewhat decent."

"Okay, princess, where is he parked?"

"In the parking lot," Percy deadpanned. "Where else? Come on." He led them out into the parking lot area, locking the restaurant behind them.

Waiting outside for them was a sleek Aston Martin with a navy blue paint job. The tinted windows were left open and soft music permeated the air. Percy tapped lightly on the door on the driver's side and peered inside. Ethan was sitting with a photo in hand. He sighed excessively and didn't seem to notice Percy and the others' entrance. Percy noticed that he had a lovesick gaze in his eyes.

"Ethan," Percy called, gently shaking the half-Japanese's shoulder. "Ethan, we're all ready to go now." The said boy blinked and tucked away the photo. He lost the disheartening lovesick expression he had and smiled.

"Climb on in."

Percy grinned, "I call shotgun!" He quickly climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself up. Weight shifted inside the car, as Frank and Leo slid into the back, and Ethan stuck the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life and they drove off.

"Oi, Ethan. Can you drop me off at my house, so I can change?" Percy asked the moment after they had taken off. The half-Japanese nodded and changed directions, turning onto a different street towards Percy's house.

The drive was quiet with the only sound being the soft music coming from the radio. Percy and Ethan spoke in hushed whispers, laughing once in a while at something the other said. Frank and Leo sat uncomfortably in the back, trying not to stare at each other's' bodies. Ethan drove pretty fast, making it pretty bumpy for those sitting in the back. Frank and Leo, even despite that they were in their seat belts and sitting on different sides of the car, were pushed against each other everything Nakamura swerved. In some instances, their body parts, some not so innocent and very, very sensitive, accidentally brushed or in some cases, rubbed (italics) against each other, bringing heat down to their nether regions. A blush would come ten-fold on their cheeks and the two would jerk away in embarrassment and arousal.

Percy and Ethan chuckled quietly in amusement up in the front. They had been watching the whole exchange through a mirror, feeling the waves of sexual tension roll over them.

"It's going to be a long ride, huh?" Ethan wondered aloud. Percy laughed and nodded.

"What do you think? The sexual tension between them is so thick that a knife could slice through it. It's going to be a long and uncomfortable ride for them, alright."

"You planned this." It wasn't a question. "You were planning this from the beginning."

Percy shook his head, "Only from the moment I saw Leo today. Before that, I didn't think they could be anything, much less a couple."

"You have been hanging out with Silena too much," Ethan pointed out. "Her matchmaking tendencies are rubbing off of you."

"But, it's actually working, you know. Frank has been without a girlfriend and boyfriend for a while. And, Leo hadn't been interested in anyone since that gay guy who turned out to be a very masculine girl."

"Oh, yeah. Drew was her name," Ethan remembered. "Wasn't she into you, as well?"

Percy shuddered, "Don't remind me. She was all over me and she was one of the reasons I learned that I was gay."

Ethan snorted, "As if having a wet dream about Edward from Twilight wasn't enough to fully convince you that you were homosexual."

"But still," Percy argued. "She was still one of the main reasons, other than that one you gave. And, you got it all wrong. I didn't have a wet dream. It was an erotic fantasy about Jacob. Edward's too sparkly for my taste."

Ethan just laughed. He slowed the car and unlocked the doors with a push of a button once they came to a complete stop at a large driveway. "We're here. You should hurry though. I don't want to stay out here with those two alone for a long period of time."

Percy nodded and unbuckled his seat belt. He took a glance at Leo and Frank, sending smile, and exited the car. He faced his house, which was a mansion-sized estate with everything in sight colored blue, and walked up to the door. Percy slipped inside with the key, and promptly locked the door, leaving Ethan alone with Frank and Leo in the car.

Twenty minutes later, Percy walked out in a fresh outfit. He wore a blue-green shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It was left open to reveal a white muscle shirt, which showed much of his thin, wiry frame. He had chosen, a pair of black jeans artfully torn in a few select places that hugged his lower body, displaying his more sexy features, as if his face wasn't charming enough.

"Looking good, Perce," the three waiting in the car cried out in unison. Percy blushed lightly at the compliment and climbed into the Aston Martin with a smile, "Let's go, shall we?"

* * *

**And, that is the end of this chapter. :) Not much Nico yet, but he'll come (and, in more ways than one.. if you catch my drift). No worries.**

**[1] Di immortales- Latin for good gracious or something like that. I looked it up on Google.**

**And for the record, Jacob is way hotter than Edward. I am not Team Jacob, though. Team Rocket, ftw!**

**Btw, I put Drew as a very masculine girl who can pass as a gay guy. I don't like her very much and she just seemed like the perfect scapegoat for this fic. Please just skip over it, if it sounds weird.**

**See you next chapter. Until then, read fanfiction, review, have fun, review, and have a nice day. (Did I mention review?) XD**

**Crispy out.**


	3. Second Time (part two)

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own the awesomeness that is the Percy Jackson series. All credit goes to Rick Riordan, who created the characters, plot, and storyline. I am just one of the thousands of fanfiction writers who are merely borrowing the names of the characters for our own entertainment and the entertainment of others. Also, I do not own Green Day. You'll see why soon.**

**Warning: Language, this time it's more offensive, mostly to homosexuals. I deeply apologize if it offends any of you. Violence. Lots of blushing. And a stolen kiss.**

**Also just so you know, I didn't use Microsoft Word, since I didn't have the chance to, but I did utilize the grammar check and spell check that Fanfiction has, though I don't know if it's good. I apologize early for the mistakes and I hope you can over look them.**

**A/N: Hello, hello. This is the third installment of TTTC. I still have three more chapters planned. The next one will be the last of Nico/Percy, while the last two will focus on Frank/Leo and Ethan/Alabaster. Think of the last two as a late Christmas present to everyone or an early birthday present, if you will. And think of this chapter as a true Christmas present.**

**Progress (Nico/Percy): 3 out of 4 chapters.**

**Progress (in all): 3 out of 6 chapters.**

* * *

**Third Time's the Charm  
**

**III. Second Time (part two)**

* * *

Ethan backed the car out of the driveway into the street. With practiced ease, he maneuvered the Aston Martin out of the large neighborhood and down the main road. The dark scenery illuminated by the street lights quickly sped by as the half-Japanese applied more pressure on the accelerator.

"So, which one of Dionysus' clubs are we going to?" Leo asked, once they had been situated on the road.

Percy shrugged, "Whichever one Alabaster works at."

"And, that is?" Leo pressed. Percy looked over to Ethan, who was trying his best to ignore the conversation to concentrate on the road.

"Ethan?"

"Dionysus' Wine and Brewery," Nakamura replied, not taking his eyes off the road. Percy whistled.

"Fancy," he commented. "I didn't expect him to work at one of Mr. D's more sophisticated places."

"Can you expect any less of him?" Ethan countered.

"I wouldn't know," Percy shot back. "I've never met him."

"But, we're going to meet him anyways," Frank reminded them.

"So, you finally plucked up the courage to confess, huh, Nakamura?" Leo teased. The said boy groaned and changed lanes.

"Does everyone know?"

Percy shook his head, "Nope, but from the way you have talked nonstop about the guy, it's a wonder no one, but us, knows."

"By the gods, was I that obvious?"

"Yes," came three amused replies. Peals of laughter accompanied the chorus of yeses, and Ethan flushed in embarrassment. He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and increasing the speed by an increment. The car lurched slightly and the laughing halted for a moment. Ethan grinned, as the other passengers held onto the sides of the sports car tightly.

"Yo, Nakamura," Frank called. "You mind slowing down a bit here?"

Ethan just chuckled, "It's fine. I'm not going over the speed limit."

"Technically, you are," Percy corrected in a very Annabeth-like way. "But, who's counting? Your mom will take care of it anyways."

"True," Ethan agreed. "Now, is there a problem, Zhang?" He abruptly slammed the brakes, upon noticing the traffic light turning red. The vehicle briefly lurched forward, before coming to a complete stop. Frank, Leo, and Percy all held on for their lives, while Ethan laughed at their distressed antics.

"Any problems?" he cheekily inquired. Beside him, Percy didn't speak, opting to sending a pointed glare instead, which Ethan shrugged off. Behind them, fortunately, Frank and Leo - just Frank - had no complaints.

"No, no problems. None at all," Frank replied, almost smugly. Percy and Ethan shared a bemused look and turned around to a sight, which amused them and left Percy feeling pleased. _'Still going perfectly according to plan,' _he thought, as he surveyed the scene before him.

The force of the sudden stop had thrown Frank and Leo forward. Leo, being the one who wasn't particularly fond of going at ridiculous speeds, except on Festus, grabbed the closest thing to him for comfort, which happened to be Frank. The Asian boy had curled an arm around the Latino boy, unbuckling his seatbelt, and moved him over to the middle seat closer to him, where he buckled him to the seat once again, when he noticed that the other boy was not looking so well. Then, he wrapped an arm around the Latino boy and held him close. Leo readily accepted the comfort and held on tightly to Frank, who smirked and snuggled the boy flush against his large frame, earning himself a blush. Frank chuckled at the adorable action and laid his head on Leo's._ 'This is perfect.'_

An obnoxious honk of a car horn knocked everyone out of the stupor and Ethan cursed under his breath. He slammed his foot against the accelerator, throwing everyone back against their seat, and the car roared away from the traffic light.

"Ethan?"

"Yes, Zhang?"

"Do you mind slowing down a bit?" asked the other boy. "Though, I do enjoy having him close to him like this. I really do, but I think you're scaring him." Percy peered over his shoulder to see Frank looking slightly worried at Leo, who was shaking from either fear or being in close proximity with Frank._ 'Probably both,'_ Percy thought.

"Ethan," he whispered. "Calm down. Your temper is getting the better of you again. You don't want to appear all angry in front of Alabaster, do you?"

That immediately struck a nerve. Ethan released the pressure on the gas pedal and applied a miniscule amount to keep the car driving at an even 60 mph, comparable to the 80 mph and 90 mph Ethan had been pressing the car to go. A relieved sigh could be heard above the purr of the engine and the half-Japanese knew who had sighed. _'Leo.'_

Ethan ran a hand through his hair when they stopped at another red light, though this time in the regular fashion. "Sorry, dude. I didn't mean to scare you like that, Leo."

"It's fine," mumbled Leo under Frank's arms. "It's not your fault you inherited Nemesis' legendary short temper."

"Yeah, but I still could have kept it under control. Somehow."

Leo waved him off, "Don't think on it. It defines who you are."

"But, what if Alabaster doesn't like that side of me?" The other three blinked. They had never heard such insecurity coming from the usually confident and slightly cocky boy. _'He really got it bad,'_ thought Percy.

"Don't worry," he assured. "It'll be fine. I mean, personally, I think the anger thing is pretty hot." Percy shrugged. "But, it all depends on the guy. You should be yourself and if he doesn't like it, then he's not worth it."

"Thanks, Perce," Ethan sincerely said. "But, what if he isn't worth it, though? He seems like the One."

"We'll burn that bridge once we get there, Nakamura," Frank replied. "You don't need to worry ab out that yet."

Leo appeared from under Frank and nodded in agreement, "Just worry about getting us there alive."

The half-Japanese felt his anger start to rise at the teasing comment and gripped the steering wheel tightly. He kept a steady foot on the pedal and took a deep breath. Ethan ignored Percy's hiss of, "Look what you've done, Valdez. We just escaped out of the frying pan and now, we're in the fire. You and your love of fire will one day be the death of us all," and tried to think of other things to calm himself down. His thoughts trailed to Alabaster, at which Ethan felt his anger recede, only to be replaced with a giddy, bubbly feeling in his heart.

"Leo didn't do anything wrong, Perce. It's okay now. At the moment, I've managed to reign in on my anger," he murmured quietly, drawing Percy's attention.

The sea-eyed boy was surprised to see his friend's temper so controlled and wondered what brought on the change. He knew whatever or whoever it was, it wasn't normal. _'Even his own mother, the one who bestowed him with such a temper, couldn't calm him down.'_ Then, it dawned on him. Percy could see a light blush on Ethan's cheeks and smirked. _'Of course, it had to be Alabaster. Only he can affect Ethan in such a way. Poor Ethan, he really got it bad. We can only hope that he's worth it.'  
_

_. . .  
_

The rest of the car ride to Dionysus' Wine and Brewery was smooth without any disruptions. Ethan had managed to drive the three of them to the club alive with all of their bits intact. It was almost considered as a miracle by Leo, but Percy and Frank had other thoughts._ 'He's whipped. Definitely whipped.'_

They arrived at the brewery a little later than planned, due to Ethan's slow and careful driving. The said boy pulled into an evenly paved parking lot and parked the car farther away from the actual building, tucked away into a little corner. Percy couldn't really figure out the reason for Ethan's behavior, but he had a hunch. His car was very noticeable with its distinct brand, ripe for keying. Nemesis had many enemies and not a lot of people were particularly fond of Ethan. _'A shame really,'_ Percy mused. _'They don't know what they're missing.'_

Once Ethan pulled the keys out of the ignition, the four boys climbed out of the car. The cool night breeze nipped lightly at their exposed skin, as they strode over to the entrance of the club. At the door, they were met with a bodyguard, Caleb, who had immediately recognized their faces and instantly opened the door for them without asking for identification. Ah, the advantages of being one of the children of the Thirteen.

The atmosphere inside the building was calming, almost serene, something Aphrodite, Zeus, and Hades' cubs could never boast of. A sweet aroma of wine mixed with some undertones of other alcoholic beverages wafted up to their nose. Delicious smells of cuisine accompanied the wonderful scent and Percy was surprised to learn that the place was also a restaurant. _'Mr. D always seems to have a trick up his sleeve,'_ Percy thought, slightly amused._ 'Especially when he keeps coming up with new names for me that still has my initials.'_

A loud rumble cut into his thoughts and Percy raised his head sharply to see who had caused the sound. Turning around, he saw that it was Leo, who now was sporting a sheepish expression. Percy laughed, "You hungry, Leo?"

The Latino boy nodded, "Hell yeah. Nothing beats an evening at a fancy restaurant after a scary car ride." He paused, glancing at Ethan. "You don't mind, do you?" The other shook his head no and shrugged.

"You go ahead. A growling stomach waits for no one." Leo nodded and flitted off to the other side of the building, where the restaurant was located. Frank cast a longing glance at the Latino's receding back, which registered immediately on Percy and Ethan's radar. The half-Japanese rested his hand on one of Frank's shoulders, saying, "Go get him, Zhang. Woo him with your Asian charms. Percy will do as my support. We'll be fine." Frank sent a grateful look his way, as he started after Leo, and grinned when both Ethan and Percy sent him a thumbs-up. He quickly sped off towards Leo, leaving Percy and Ethan behind. The two watched Frank's receding form with amusement and turned to the bar.

Soothing acoustic music was softly emitted from a small speaker on the smooth, gleaming counter. A finely dressed bartender in a pressed black suit and vest mixed a beverage with both hand, smiling softly. From far away, Percy couldn't really see any specific features, but he could tell that the bartender had brown hair. He turned to look at Ethan, only to notice a blush on the other boy's cheeks. Smirking, Percy realized just who the bartender was. _'Alabaster. It has to be him. Only he can make Ethan blush. Usually it's the other way around. It's nice to see Ethan getting as taste of his own medicine.'_ He paused in his musing and glanced at the said boy. The light blush had extended from his cheeks to his ears and slowly to the back of his neck. The red tint had intensified to almost a crimson color. Percy chuckled and nudged Ethan towards the bar._ 'He's whipped,' _he thought for the second time, as he grabbed the half-Japanese by his shoulders and steered him over to the bar.

Halfway there, he stopped and elbowed Ethan softly in the ribs. Percy gripped Ethan's hands tightly and held them up to his chest. "Don't worry, big guy. Everything will be alright if you just be yourself. Go get him. I'll be right behind you." He released the other boy's hands and straightened the son of Nemesis' shirt collar, "Like you said to Frank, go woo him with your Asian - or half-Asian - charms. Now, go, lover boy. be yourself and remember that whatever happens, I'll be beside you." He smiled reassuringly, before shoving the boy towards the bar. Ethan stumbled over his feet for a moment, before righting himself with a huff, acting like nothing had happened. Percy laughed and followed the half-Japanese. He watched as his friend sauntered over to the counter and sat down beside him.

"Is there anything you would like to drink tonight?" Percy heard someone ask. He turned his head to politely decline, only to find that the bartender had not yet addressed him. Percy flushed in embarrassment and glanced at Ethan. The Japanese boy was ordering something on the little menu cards attached to the side of the wall, not noticing the bartender, Alabaster, staring at him intently. The gaze slowly turned to him and the bartender glared. Percy, feeling a little bewildered, looked away and trained his eyes forward. His sea-green eyes met with a martinet glass and he stared at the glistening finished polish, following it as it made its journey to the person who had ordered for such a drink, and was pleasantly surprised to make contact with dark, smoldering eyed.

Percy blinked. Then, he blinked again. Nope, he really wasn't dreaming. Nico, the boy he had just served at the Trident, was sitting beside him. Percy blushed and looked away, embarrassed that was staring. He almost stood up and walked away to where Frank and Leo were, even despite that Ethan was still standing there beside him (he was doing great on his own, really), but a warm hand on his shoulder stopped him. Percy felt his body being twisted gently by strong arms and turned his head, only to gaze into Nico's dark eyes. He felt his blush deepen and inwardly cursed at how girly he felt._ 'Acting like a high school girl in one of Annabeth's secret stash of romance novels. Smooth, real smooth, Jackson.' _Percy bit his lip, obligating to just stare at Nico with his cheeks flushed. He didn't have anything to say to the other boy. His eyes and enticing lips held all if Percy's attention, derailing him from all type of speech.

They held contact for a moment, before Nico spoke, "Hey, aren't you from the Trident? Percy, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," Percy nervously replied. He mentally berated himself for sounding so meek and pulling a Leo, but couldn't really help himself, knowing that Nico was the reason why.

"I'm Nico di Angelo," the olive-skinned Adonis introduced he held out a hand expectantly. Percy stared at the long, nimble fingers for a moment, before realizing that Nico was waiting for him to introduce himself. He blushed an even darker crimson and shook his hand.

"Percy, Percy Jackson. And, it's a pleasure to meet you," he managed to say without stuttering, much to his relief. The hand he held was soft and warm and larger than his own. It was really strange at how well they fit together but Percy was too busy observing the hand to question it.

"You can let go of my hand now," Nico pointed out, amused. He didn't really mind having the cute siren of a boy hold his hand, but he wanted to get to know Percy a little better. At his little statement, Percy smiled sheepishly, which actually looked pretty adorable on the other boy Nico noted, and released the hand he was holding onto. Nico almost whined at the loss of contact, but refrained. _'I'll let Percy do all of the whining,' _he smirked._ 'He'll make all the sounds I want. Soon.'_

"Sorry," Percy apologized dumbly, feeling embarrassed for the nth time that day, Nico just waved off the apology, "Don't worry. It's fine, so, what are you doing here at Dionysus's Wine and Brewery? I haven't seen you around."

Percy mentally thanked Nico for the subject change and answered, "I'm here for moral support. My friend is trying to ask an employee out."

"You mean, that Asian guy over there by Alabaster?" Nico asked curiously. Percy nodded, "Yeah, you know Ethan?"

Nico shook his head in reply, "Never met the guy, but he's all Torrington talks about. I swear, he's absolutely smitten with him."

"Oh, I see," smirked Percy, looking very sexy in Nico's eyes, much to the chagrin of his libido. "It's perfect then."

"What's perfect?" Percy looked at Nico and just had to laugh. The dark-eyed boy's confused expression was almost too cute.

"Ethan has the hots for Alabaster and Alabaster is smitten with Ethan."

Nico returned Percy's smirk with a crooked smile, which Percy thought was wicked hot. "I guess, things will probably work out for the two of them."

"I hope so," Percy sighed. "Cause, Nakamura needs to get laid. The sexual frustration is affecting me, too."

Nico chuckled a baritone rumble of a laugh, which brought heat to Percy's groin, "Poor Percy." The said boy just mock-glared at the Italian and playfully swatted Nico's bicep. He brushed again wiry muscle and he jerked away. _'This is not good for my hormones. They're raging like a storm,' _he thought._ 'Forget Ethan, I meed to get laid.'_

_I walk a lonely road_

_The only one I have ever know_

_Don't know where it goes_

_But, it's home to me and I walk alone_

_I walk this empty street_

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams_

_Where the city sleeps_

_And, I'm the only one and I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone_

_I walk alone _

_I walk a -_

"Oops, sorry," Nico said, fishing out his phone. He swiped at the screen to answer the call and looked at Percy sheepishly. "Sorry, I have to take this."

"It's alright," Percy replied. He heard Nico speak into the smart phone and turned away, not wanting to eavesdrop in the conversation. The boy took a glance at Ethan and alabaster, who was turning a curious shade of red. He wondered what innuendo the half-Japanese had suggested or set of words Ethan had casually drawled to make the barkeeper pink so intensely. Percy let his eyes wander for a moment, until he met the revolting gaze of someone he never wished to see ever again.

. . .

"Ugliano," he spat with the venom of a King Cobra. Percy hated - no, _loathed - _his former stepfather with a. Passion and he was not afraid to show his distaste for the man.

It appeared to Percy that Gabriel Ugliano, Gabe for short, had not come alone. _'So, he came with his cronies. Probably too cheap to pay for anything.' _The disgusting, portly rat of a man was still the way he remembered. Percy wrinkled his nose. There was still a sickening odor that surrounded the bastard everywhere he went. _'That didn't Chaffee at all,'_ he mused._ 'And to think that living alone would call for you to be more aware if how you really are. Ugliano, you'll never change.'_

"Well, well, well," he sneered. "If it isn't the queer." Percy glared menacingly at the man, relishing when he had caused him to take a step back. He smirked and schooled his face into a cool, nonchalant expression when one of Ugliano's cronies had stepped forward with a question of, "Who's this, Gabe?"

The other snorted, replying, "He's the faggot son of the bitch I dated and married I boy to divorce soon after. I hear the slut is whoring herself to Poseidon."

"Don't call my mother that, you son of a bitch," Percy snarled. He balled up his hands into a fist and resisted the urge to punch the sick fuck's face in, hoping to give him a makeover.

"Aww, is the little fag upset that I insulted his whore of a mother?" He taunted. Percy growled lowly and almost jumped out of the stool he was sitting on when a strong arm curled around his middle.

"Is there a problem, Perce?" Nico's voice was a low rumble against his neck with a sight undertone of contempt, at which Percy knew wasn't directed at him.

"Just these asses annoying the hell out of me. Don't worry, Nico," he murmured, subconsciously leaning back against the Italian. Nico tightened his hold around Percy and discreetly sniffed at the boy, indulging in huge cute boy's scent. Curiously enough, Percy had a salty undertone with a fresh tang. _'Like the ocean,' _he thought.

"Oh, look. Another one who likes taking it up the ass," Gabe smirked. Percy narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on Nico's for comfort. He opened his mouth to retort, but another man's voice, someone who was very familiar and frankly, very annoying, interjected.

"Like you can talk, Ugliano. You can't seem to keep anything in your pants, especially not your money," the person countered. Gabe flushed in anger, while Percy and Nico perked up.

"Mr. D," they exclaimed in unison. Dionysus waved mockingly in greeting and stepped forward. He was wearing a simple blood red shirt the color if wine and black slacks, comparable to his Hawaiian tees and cargo shorts. It was a better look on him, much better.

"Peter Johnson," he acknowledged. "And, Nathaniel the Angel, too." The man ignored Percy's comment of, "My name is Percy Jackson" and Nico's, "It's Nico di Angelo" and continued on, "Are these goons causing you trouble? I don't want to have to deal with your fathers for this."

"We'll take care of it," Percy decided. "This is nothing I can't handle." Dionysus nodded.

"Alright, but if you choose to fight him, take it outside and remember the most important rule of combat that Ares had taught you..."

"Pulverize your opponents to obtain a sure victory and never ever challenge Clarisse in a battle," Percy cheekily finished for him, causing the man and Nico to laugh.

"You got it, Peyton Johnson. Now, go and beat up the guy, so I can revoke his membership. I'm in a mood for some evil." Then, he walked away with a wine glass in hand that Percy sure wasn't there before, leaving them alone again.

Percy stood up, dislodging Nico's arm form his hips, and glared straight into Gabe's shit colored eyes. "I want to end this now," he declared. "One fight. No restraints."

"I accept. It's time to put you down in your place, fag," Percy ignored the sharp, biting comment.

"Choose your Second."

"Paul, you are my Second, bud," Gabe chose. Percy sighed and glanced around, looking for a Second to referee for him and maybe, possibly fight alongside him, if the person wished to. Ethan, Frank, and Leo were definitely out of the question. It only left him with -

"I accept."

"I didn't even ask you the question yet," Percy pouted. Nico just chuckled, "You are too obvious in your emotions." The sea-eyed boy's face fell for a moment, but he immediately perked up when Nico reassured, "It's actually not a bad thing. It's really cute, you know."

"Alright then," Percy proposed, toning down a blush at being called cute. "We meet outside in exactly 15 minutes. Get ready, Ugliano, because you are going to get the beating of your life." Gabe did not answer, opting to sneer and walk away with a huff. One of his minion, Paul if Percy heard correctly,sent a sympathetic look his way, before following Gabe. Percy stared after the man, slightly bemused._ 'I guess not all of Ugliano's so-called friends are bad.'_

"So, you ready, Perce?"

The said boy turned to look at Nico and smiled softly, "Hell yeah, I am. I have been waiting for years to beat him up. Finally, I have a chance. There is no way I'll lose. I'll make him pay for everything my mom and I went through."

"If you say so," Nico still looked a bit worried, but less so than before. He didn't know of Percy's fighting capabilities, but from the confidence he spoke of, the way Mr. D seems to trust him to win, and the fact that Percy was one of Poseidon's sons, Nico could guess that the boy was fairly well off. He could probably handle himself in a fight.

"I'm going to alert Ethan of what's happening in the time we have left. Can you wait a little?" Nico stared at Percy for a moment, before trailing his eyes down to his phone, which lay in his jeans pocket. "I can wait. I need to call my sister, anyways. I may have cut our conversation short when that filthy man was coming onto you."

"Okay, then," Percy said with a nod, "I won't be long." With a small wave of his hand, Percy sat down on his stool turned it to face Ethan and Alabaster.

"Ethan," he addressed, before turning to Alabaster with a crooked, yet cheeky smile. "Hi, my name is Percy Jackson."

The bartender perked up in recognition and straightened himself, smoothing his uniform. "Alabaster. Alabaster Torrington, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir. Percy or Perce is fine." He observed the other and found that he was, in his own way, Ethan's type. Alabaster was lithe, wiry in muscle mass, but definitely not feminine. Just the way Ethan liked them. In appearance, that is. Personality-wise, Percy still had no idea how compatible they really were.

"Don't scare him off with your name just yet. I was just starting to like him even more, Perce."

The son of Poseidon laughed, "I was just trying to check out the guy and see if he's perfect for you."

"He's already perfect," Ethan argued. "Perfectly delectable." A blush on the barista only helped support Ethan's claim. Percy could see why Alabaster was as Ethan put it, "perfectly delectable." His blush greatly contrasted with his pale skin, intensifying the light flush. He was a beauty, in his own masculine way. _'If I wasn't a self-respecting person, I'd tap that. Too bad I don't top.'_

"On a more serious note, though, I challenged Ugliano to a fight. No restraints. No rule."

"You what?"

Percy ran a hand through his hair hurriedly. "You heard me."

"Where's the bastard now?" Ethan practically roared.

"He's probably loitering somewhere, waiting for the 15 minute resting period to end," Percy elaborated.

"Let me at him."

"No, you'll kill him."

"Now, you're worried for him?" Ethan accused illogically. "After all he had done to you and your mom?"

Percy snorted, before retorting sarcastically, "Right, like I'll suddenly develop a heart for the man who I have hated all my life. That'll happen alright."

"Then, why?" prompted Ethan, who was slightly put off by Percy's calm tone towards his former stepfather. He was used to the son of Poseidon exploding at the mere mention of the man. 'Sally was right. He had changed over the years, thanks to Poseidon and Triton. Thank the gods.'

"Di immortales, Nakamura. I want to deal with him. I will take care of him once and for all. if anyone's killing him, it will be me."

Ethan nodded, his anger dissipating. "Who's your Second?"

"Nico di Angelo." At the mention of Nico, both Ethan and Alabaster exclaimed, "What?"

"You heard me. Nico is my Second," Percy replied, slightly irritated at the prospect of repeating what he had just said.

"Wait, as in Nico di Angelo, son of Hades?" Alabaster asked. Percy stared at him in surprise, eyes widened owlishly.

"Oh, is that why he looked so familiar? I knew I've seen him somewhere before." Ethan rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"And to think Triton and Annabeth drilled it into your mind," Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. Alabaster chuckled and Percy blushed.

"It may have slipped out of my mind."

"Too distracted by how hot Nico was?" Alabaster teased. It seemed to Percy that the guy was warming up to him. 'He seems nice enough.'

"Of course," Percy huffed. "Did you see just how hot he was? He's smoking."

"I appreciate your rating my hotness, but we don't have much time," Nico interjected. Percy blushed tenfold and squeaked when the Italian wrapped both arms around his waist and laid his head gently on his shoulder. Ethan and Alabaster shared a laugh, while Percy squirmed in Nico's hold.

"N-Nico, what are you doing?" Nico smirked. He held the adorable wriggling boy for a moment, feeling a little bored releasing Percy. "That's enough fun for now. We have to go."

Percy nodded and turned to Ethan. "You're okay going this solo?" He gestured to Alabaster, who blushed.

"Of course. You go and pulverize him. Maim him and if you can, kill him."

"Naturally," he replied with confidence. "But, my conscience will probably stop me before I can kill him." He cared a hand through his hand distractedly. "I'll do as much damage as I can for revenge for all the misery he had caused over the years to me and my mom," he offered.

Ethan nodded in agreement, "For Sally. Your mom is the sweetest person alive."

"Yeah, I know," Ethan smiled, before turning to Nico.

"What kind of Second are you going to be? Just a referee or are you fighting, as well?"

"I fight, too, if Percy allows it," Nico replied.

"I accept."

"I didn't even ask the question yet," Nico bantered playfully.

"No matter," Percy dismissed in a haughty air. "I already accept." Nico chuckled at Percy's antics and briefly glanced at his watch. The time was being cut down fast and he frowned.

"Perce, we have to go now. It is unbecoming for the challengers to be late," he informed.

Percy nodded, "Alright." Turning to the guys, he bade them a quick good bye. "Wish me luck."

. . .

Outside in the alley, Nico and Percy waited, almost anxiously. The son of Poseidon, being as restless as the oceans in nature, threw practice punches and experimental kicks. Nico, also followed Percy in suit, and warmed up, but in the corner of his eyes, he kept watch of the lithe body and couldn't help, but marvel at how swift the other was. There was no wasted movements. Everything was calculated and exact with deadly precision. Every movement flowed together, like that of a dance, and Nico felt his attraction to the boy grow even more, as he gazed upon the beautiful form of the siren-like boy.

Ugliano arrived not a moment later with more cronies added to the group. He seemed slightly nervously, even despite that he had the advantage of numbers, and Percy and Nico shared a smirk.

_'Not so tough now, are you?'_ thought Percy, as he held Ugliano and Co. under a scrutinizing eye. They were not strong, mostly men with potbellies and an overweight figure. His group was not made for fighting, he noted with a feral grin. They weren't really made for anything, just a poor representation of the people in Olympus City. _'It's time to put **you **into your place, Ugliano. That will teach you and your goons to mess with us.' _

"Well, well, well," Percy drawled in the similar manner that Ugliano had when they had first met in the bar. "Took you long enough. And, you seemed to have recruited more nincompoops into your gang."

"It's not even a gang," Nico commented. "More like a mob or something. Real gangs aren't this disorganized. You should know this."

Percy laughed in agreement, "True, true. Anyways, shall we get started?"

"Hn. I thought you'd never ask, brat." Turning to his men, Gabe commanded, "Move and attacked the kid. Disregard that he's the son of Poseidon. That doesn't matter." At the mention of Percy's parentage, the men shifted restlessly, staying in place. Percy's grin grew ever more wild and he laughed, almost cruelly, but either way, it sounded sexy to Nico's ears.

"Let's move," he mouthed. And with a nod as a signal, both took their opponents' moment of hesitation to their advantage and attacked.

Percy sent the first punch, knocking a man down with his body landing on the hard ground with a thud. Nico landed the next hit with a vicious left hook to another man's chest. The victim merely groaned in pain, before passing into unconsciousness. Both Percy and Nico shared another look.

"Whoever downs the most bastard wins. Winner gets whatever they want," Nico proposed. Percy nodded, not fully knowing what he was agreeing to. Nico smiled, _'Oh, Percy. You don't know what you have just signed yourself up for. With the stakes like this, I'll never lose.' _

The moment Nico announced the stakes, Percy immediately jumped into action. His movements became more fluid, like a raging river, and quicker, like a lightning strike. Everywhere he struck men would fall, some in pain, others in an unconscious state. Every now and then, a sickening crack of a bone could be heard, as Percy landed a blow that hit its mark almost too well. In his wake, a trail of men laid on the ground, creating a path, as Percy made his way to Ugliano, who was busy running away the moment he had seen Percy strike one of his men.

On the other side, Nico was progressing at the same rest, maybe even faster. He was like a whirlwind of power blowing through Ugliano's men, striking them down one after the other. None survived his attacks and Nico watched with distinct satisfaction, as each man that had fallen victim to his blows had uttered a cry or shriek or sometimes, even a scream, before they had fallen to the same fate as their comrades. They had all deserved what had been done to them, some more than others, and Nico wasn't afraid to give them what they deserved, but it could also be the fact that Percy's submission to him was at stake that motivated him to take down the men.

The battle - or, fight (whichever worked) - ended in a matter of minutes. Every other man, except for Ugliano and Paul, for reasons being that they were the challengee and Second, were left standing. Percy and Nico stood in front of them, both still with much endurance and energy to go on. The fight didn't even tire them or phase their stamina in the least. They could still go on.

Percy cracked his knuckles with the intent of intimidating the already terrified stragglers, relishing sadistically when the two grown men backed away from him. He stepped forward, crunching a bit of stone underfoot. Ugliano and Paul cringed at the loud echo that resounded in the alley and hacked themselves into a wall. They stared fearfully at Percy and Nico, before bolting in separa

te directions. Percy just shook his head and looked to Nico, "You go for Paul. Knock him out if you can, but don't injure him. Please. There is still some good left in that man. I'll deal with the remainder."

"Roger that," Nico quipped, earning him a sweet chuckle from Percy. Loud footsteps could be heard, growing fainter by the second and Nico smirked.

"Didn't anyone tell you that what a child of Hades wants, he gets?" he called after the man. "No one runs from me, especially not low life like you. Percy may think there is hope for you, but I don't think so. By hanging out with Ugly-what's-his-face and just siding with him had already placed you on my hit list. Anyone a danger to Perce deals with me. You, no matter what he says, is no exception." Truthfully, those were merely empty promises. He wasn't really going to do any of what he said, but Paul didn't know that. Nico knew that Paul needed a little threatening - ahem, _persuading - _and immediately he would surrender. It was like that with most of the big shots who claim to be something nowadays. _'The bigger they talk, the harder they fall.' _

His lips curled up in a predatory grin like a cat who had caught the canary, as Paul rounded a corner and hit a dead end. He watched in satisfaction, while the other man scanned the dark alley for an escape route, only to find none. Paul hit the ground, as his knees buckled in terror and clasped his hands together. He closed in eyes in fear and pleaded, "Please let me go. I'll do anything. I'll give you anything. What do you want? Money, diamonds, stock shares, cars? I'll give them to you if you let me go."

Nico just laughed, "No can do, Paul. Your offer is one that I would have liked to take, but I already have what I want. He is already mine, even if he doesn't know it yet."

"No, please! I beg of you. Let me go and I'll never bother you and that other boy again. I'll never associate myself with Gabe or even do business with him anymore. Just let me go. I'll do anything." Nico glanced thoughtfully at the man, scratching his chin in thought. The man's proposition was legit and from the way he was trembling in fear, Nico knew that he would not go against it once the deal has been set.

"Alright, but I need you to come with me back to Percy. He will have the final verdict. I was just sent to capture you." He paused and motioned for Paul to follow him, as he headed back towards Percy. "No funny business now. Running away won't do anything. I will find you and I will kill you." Nico chuckled at his little reference to Taken, the movie, and turned around to see Paul a deathly pale color. He just shook his head and continued walking. _'Huh. Guess, he didn't wrap around his mind that what I said was a joke.' _

Nico rounded the corner and led Paul into the open area where they had been a moment before. He saw the distinct figure of Percy, but Ugliano was nowhere to be found. Nico heard a groan and saw that Percy's foot was atop of something. As he stepped closer into the light, he realized just what Percy had perched his foot ontop of. With a grin, he said, "Done?"

Percy turned and smiled, "Yeah. Took good care of him." He stepped away from Ugliano's prone boy and dusted off his shoulders dramatically. The man groaned and Nico noticed that his face held many lumps, some of them already forming bruises and turning a dark purple-black color. Ugliano was hold onto his nether regions and Nico had a striking suspicious that Percy may have struck the man in the place where the sun does not shine, the dark side of the moon. He shivered at the thought and refrained from glancing down at his privates.

"I brought the other back," he announced. Percy nodded.

"Alright, let him go or something. I don't really care. Not anymore. I'm tired of all this. I took care of Ugliano once and for all. We should get back inside." Nico took a closer look at Percy and noticed that the other boy was smiling brighter than ever. _'I guess he really took care of the man. It's nice to see him smiling so cutely, even if I wasn't the reason for the smile.'_

Addressing Paul, he said, "Today, we are letting you go free. If we ever cross paths, remember what you promised and leave us alone. Now, leave us." Without another word, Paul ran off hurriedly. Nico exhaled and turned to Percy, "Shall we go inside?"

"Yea, we should. I think Ethan is worried. And, Mr. D would want to know how I handled the fight." Nico nodded and together they opened the back door of the club and walked inside.

. . .

The moment Percy step foot in the door, he was bombarded with questions from Frank, Leo, and Ethan. He quickly waved them off, saying that he was fine and gave them a short summary of what had went on outside. Needless to say, all of them looked relieved at Ugliano's well-deserved beating and at the fact that Percy left the battle unscathed.

"Thank goodness, you're alright, Perce," Leo exclaimed. "I don't know what to tell Triton if his little brother was caught in a battle and had been hurt by his stepfather. He would have skinned me alive."

"Nevermind that," Ethan said, cutting in and pushing Leo lightly to the side. "I need to thank you."

"What for?"

"I got a date for the upcoming ball," Ethan excitedly replied. He was practically jumping up and down with joy.

"By the gods," Percy breathed. "You asked Alabaster out." Ethan nodded.

"And, it's all thanks to you, Perce. Thank you." Then, the half-Japanese pulled Percy into a tight hug, at which the other boy clumsily returned. Suddenly, Percy felt Ethan being pulled away and stared at the space that the other had once occupied. A second later, he felt himself being enveloped in another hug.

"Thank you," whispered someone - Frank - in his ear. He embraced the Asian, not saying a word, and broke the hug a minute later.

"I guess you got a date with Leo, too, huh?" Frank nodded enthusiastically and Leo blushed. Percy just shook his head and turned to Nico, remembering something, "About the contest. How many did you take out?"

"9," Nico smirked. Percy pouted.

"Dammit, I only had 6." Nico just shook his head, replying, "Don't worry about it, Perce. You should worried about I ask for in return for winning the bet. Remember, winner gets whatever he wants." Suddenly, his phone vibrated and Nico pulled it out in surprise. He frowned and tucked the phone away.

"Sorry, Perce, but I have to go. It has been a really fun night, though. I hope I can see you soon. Bye." And before he left, Nico planted a soft kiss on Percy's lips. But before Percy could even react, the flitted touch of his lips was gone and Nico had already swept across the room.

"What was that for?" Percy yelled after him. Nico looked back for a moment and smirked.

"Think of it as a gift. You can repay me later." He winked, then crossed the restaurant and opened the door, stepping outside into the darkness of the night. Percy was left touching the place where Nico had tenderly pressed their lips together with a blush._ 'Wow.'_

A moment later, he realized something. _'I don't have a date!'_

* * *

**Whew, there is your chapter. I am done with it, finally. Anyways, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. The next chapter will be coming soon and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review. Be safe. Review and have a nice day.**

**Ciao~ Sayonara~ Aloha~ Bye~ Look for the next installment, "Third Time."**


	4. Third Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJatO franchise and probably never _ever _will. The property belongs to Rick Riordan, the best Percy Jackson author of all time (and also, the only one). This piece of - er, work - is purely for the entertainment of others and naturally my own. I am merely borrowing the names of the characters and bending them to my will to create this story.**

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long. This chapter was finished a few days ago, but I had procrastinated (sorry) and finally typed it out today. I was so caught up in school, youtube, computer games, and such that I found no time.  
**

**Warnings: Language, some OOCness. Slash. And... you know... just a little sex... no biggie... Okay, maybe a lot of sex.. boy on boy action. Have fun, my duckies.**

* * *

**Third's Time the Charm**

**IV. Third Time**

* * *

"Stop moping around, di Angelo," sighed Jason Grace. He couldn't stand it anymore. All his best friend had been doing for the past few days was just that - moping around because of the cute waiter he had met a few days ago.

"I am not moping," Nico argued indignantly, the sound of his voice muffled slightly because of his face plant on his bed pillow.

"Fine, then. You're sulking," corrected Jason tiredly, as if he had this conversation too many times. "Stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking!"

"What? I can't hear you." Jason grinned. Nico sat up from where he lay and repeated, "I am not sulking."

"But, you are," the son of Zeus pointed out. "That waiter has you wrapped around his finger."

Nico growled lowly. "His name is Percy Jackson."

"Alright then, Percy Jackson the waiter and consequently, Poseidon's son has you wrapped you around his finger." Jason huffed. His best friend was starting to annoy him. He ran a hand through his hair absently. "You seriously need to stop moping, sulking, or whatever you are doing."

"I don't want to," Nico whined with a pout, hugging his pillow. Jason laughed and couldn't help thinking, _'If only Percy saw him now.'_

"Well, you better. Tonight's the annual ball. It's your father's turn to host," Jason reminded. "Knowing him, he'll invite everyone in the Thirteen, including their children to show his wealth."

"We're pretty well off," Nico commented distractedly. Jason just shook his head.

"That's not the point. Hades will invite all of the Thirteen, that's a given. Every host has to ivite all of them, whether they want to or not, due to regulation. But since it's finally his turn to host, he's going to do it differently. He'll extend the invitation of some of the Thirteen's children, which probably includes your cute waiter."

Nico perked up, his childish demeanor gone. "Where did you learn this?"

"From my dad." Jason shrugged. "He may be a bit of a bastard, but at least, he's trying to be a good dad, even though it's only to impress my mom."

"So, are you going?" Nico asked unexpectedly.

"Probably. Your dad invited everyone in the Big Three's family. Triton's going. Thalia's going. I think Tyson, Percy, and Triton's little brother, just came back from training in the military and is planning to go. Knowing Thalia, she's going to force me to go and Triton will probably do the same with Percy," Jason informed with a smirk. _'That will catch his attention.'_

"Really? In that case, I should get ready. The ball starts in an hour and a half."

"Oh, so now you're all hyped." Jason's smirk grew wider. _'Hook, line, and sinker.'_

"Shut up."

"Just hurry up, princess. And, hold back on the primping, will you? We don't want to scare Percy," he cheekily added, ducking just in time as his friend threw a pillow with deadly accuracy at his head. Jason chuckled and stepped out of Nico's room, closing the door behind him, but not before saying, "I'll see you in an hour and a half. Don't be late."

. . .

"Big brother, are you ready?" Tyson yelled to reach upstairs to where Percy's room was.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Percy shouted back. "You should probably check on Triton, not me. Tyson, you know how long he takes in there."

Chuckling, Tyson nodded, even despite that Percy couldn't see him. "I'll go get him, then. But, that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Dad and mom is waiting for you in the front."

"Okay," he replied. "Now, go and nag Triton. I'm ready." He appeared on the staircase a moment later with his blazer in hand. The older son of Poseidon was dressed in a well-fitted - obviously tailored - white dress shirt with the top button left open and a pair of slim slacks that hugged his figure like a second skin. A golden watch hung from his wrist, gleaming in the light, with Greek lettering sprawled out the face of the watch, spelling out, "Anaklusmos," meaning "Riptide." A pair of dark sneakers covered his feet, finishing off his formal, yet casual look.

"You look good, big brother," Tyson complimented. Percy blushed lightly, slipping his arms into the sleeves of the blazer and pulling it over his shoulder. A pale hand reached over to fold the sleeves of his jacket and shirt neatly into the crook his elbow, just the way he liked it. Percy looked up to see his mom smiling at him.

"You look so handsome, Perce," Sally added. Percy's blush intensified at his mother's praise and he ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Thank you, mom. And, you, too, Tyson," Percy managed to say. He grinned broadly and finally noticed what his mom had worn for the occasion.

Sally Jackson was stunning. The years had been kind on her, even despite her hardship with Ugliano. She was still beautiful and youthful, without a single gray hair or wrinkle. Sally wore a simple cyan gown with intricate silver patterns artfully stitched onto the fabric, which she pulled off elegantly with no effort. Her brown hair hung in neat curls around her shoulders, framing her face. A delicate smile tugged at her lips and Percy felt his breath hitch. Gods, his mom is so beautiful.

"You look gorgeous, mom." Sally blushed and shook her head in denial.

"No, Perce. I'm just average. I'm not as pretty as you say," she denied, her face coloring a deep red. Percy and Tyson just shared a look and shook their head. _'Women,'_ he thought resignedly, _'are so self-conscious. Di immortales, what does it take for them to accept that they are beautiful, inside and out?'_

The front door suddenly opened and everyone turned their heads to see who it was. Standing at the door was a tall man with warm, sea-green eyes, much like Percy's. He had jet-black hair, which was stylishly tousled, and boyish good looks. This man was, without a doubt, Poseidon, father to Triton, Percy, and Tyson, and husband to Sally Jackson.

"Nonsense," came his booming voice. "You're as beautiful as any other woman."

Sally laughed. "Don't let Aphrodite hear of that," she chided teasingly. Poseidon just shook his head, chuckling. He turned to look at Tyson and said, "Our little Tyson has grown, Sally. Look how dashing he looks in his suit."

Percy took a closer look at Tyson and found that he had to agree with his dad. His little brother did look dashing and gallant. Tyson had a military-style buzz-cut, which was actually a very handsome cut on the boy's head. His brown eyes twinkled in delight with a kind smile resting on his lips. Percy grinned. The military years had been kind on him.

"I have to agree with dad on this, big guy," Percy supplied with a grin. Poseidon chuckled and turned to look at Percy. He whistled and grinned.

"Well, look at you, Percy. All grown up," he cooed. "Who are you dressed up for?"

Percy shifted and didn't meet with his father's searching eyes. "No one special."

Someone snorted on the stairs above. Everyone looked up to see that it was Triton, who had finally finished primping - ahem, I mean, changing. "No special, Perce? Are you sure? I don't think Nico di Angelo is no one special."

"Shut up," grumbled Percy with burning cheeks. "I told you that in confidence. It's not like you didn't dress up for anyone, either."

"And, who would that be?" prompted Poseidon with a suggestive grin. Tyson and Percy smiled wickedly with a promise of evil deeds in their eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," Percy remarked. "He's no one special."

"Yeah," Tyson agreed. "Thanatos is no one special."

"Thanatos?!" Poseidon hollered. "You got dressed up for Hades' little cousin? And, you, Percy," he addressed, turning to the said boy, "for Nico, Hades' son?" When both boys nodded, albeit hesitantly, Poseidon broke into a grin.

"Look, Sally," he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "Our sons are all grown up. Now, we can retire in peace."

Sally laughed and swatted her husband's arm playfully, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "We're not that old," she said, smiling softly. Sally glanced at their wall clock for a moment, frowning. "We won't have a life to live until retirement if we don't go to the ball now. Hades will have our heads. You know how he is if we're late."

Poseidon shuddered. "Quite right, my lovely wife. We should hurry to the car, before my best friend throws a hissy fit." The Jackson family shared a laugh and the five of them stepped out of their house, climbing into their SUV and drove to the di Angelo mansion, where the ball was being held.

. . .

"How do I look?" Nico asked, fastening his black silk tie around his neck. Jason peered over the Italian's shoulder, staring into his mirror reflection.

"You look good, Nicki."

"I told you never to call me that, Grace," snarled Nico. His best friend just laughed and glanced at his watch.

"On a more serious note, we're going to be late if you don't hurry. You know how your dad is with punctuality. He hates it when people are late," Jason warned.

"Don't worry about time right now. Hand me my vest, please." Jason grumbled something under his breath, which suspiciously sounded like "lazy ass." "Don't you have maids or butlers to help you dress? You're rich enough."

"Well, in addition to his pet peeve of lateness, my dad is also slightly paranoid. He doesn't trust a lot of people."

Jason snorted. "That's true. And, here." He handed Nico his black best and watched, as the Italian dressed himself in the formal wear.

"Thanks. Now, how do I look?"

"You're still the same, as handsome as ever. If only you bottomed," commented Jason.

Nico snorted. "You're not even gay."

"But, I do have appreciation for my own sex," Jason countered with a grin.

"I take that back," Nico said. "You're bi."

"And, you are as straight as a circle."

"True," Nico remarked. The two shared a smirk, as their pointless and also, ridiculous, banter continued on for a few minutes.

"So, you're bisexual," Nico repeated.

Jason shrugged. "I guess. I mean, in many instances, I was staring at the sweetest ass ever, only to find out that it belonged to a boy. Came as quite a shocker."

"So, does Piper know?"

"Nope, and she is never going to know. You are not telling her anything."

Nico nodded. "Alright, just another secret to add to my growing list. Did you tell her about Reyna yet?"

"Yeah, and she took it pretty well."

"Really?" Nico wondered incredulously. Jason nodded.

"Yup, she didn't withhold sex from me." Nico clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Sex is all you think about," he remarked.

"Percy and his ass is all you have in mind," Jason retorted.

Nico blinked. "Touché. Now, come on. We mustn't keep our guests waiting. It is unbecoming of a host, as my mother would say."

"Come on," Jason urged. "We only have 15 minutes to get down there and you have to greet the guests."

"Don't remind me," Nico groaned. "Let's go." His best friend nodded and together, they stepped into the hall with a calm facade firmly planted on their face.

. . .

"Welcome to my humble abode," Hades greeted, smiling warmly at his guest, whom he had already forgotten their name. The woman - or, who he thought was a woman - that stood in front of him was plain, almost hideously so, with nothing distinguishable on her body. He couldn't even remember which one of the minor syndicates she was from. She had no seductive traits, even if she believed that the not-so-alluring look she had in her ever-batting eye (she looked like she had something in them that needed to be blinked out) was sexy.

"This is my son, Nico di Angelo, my daughters, Bianca and Hazel, and my cousin, Thanatos," he introduced, dismissing the obscene show of puffing up her chest and pulling down her low-cut dress to reveal even more of her obviously fake cleavage.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she purred, as her dainty hands shook Nico's.

"Likewise," the boy replied stiffly, glancing over to his father and Thanatos when the guest lingered and refused to let go. Bianca and Hazel, who were standing beside Nico, noticed their little brother's predicament and decided to jump in.

"Hello," Bianca said politely with an undertone of contempt. The guest briefly turned to look at the older di Angelo, nodding in reply, before resuming her attention on Nico. Offended, Bianca huffed and walked away.

Nico groaned and mentally thanked his eldest sibling for nothing. He sent a pleading look to Hazel, but the girl just shrugged. She had seen that Bianca couldn't do anything to help. How could she do anything if Bianca couldn't?

Nico shut his eyes tight and inwardly cursed. _'Fuck ,where is Jason when you need him?'_ The youngest di Angelo clenched his teeth and cringed when he felt the leech press her chest into his arm, hugging it. _'Oh gods.' _Nico's eyes snapped open when he heard snickering. He raised his head sharply to see his father and Thanatos laughing at his expense. _'Dammit to hell. This is not funny. The bastards.'_ He suddenly felt a hand trailing down towards his crotch and his body tensed. His eyes sent an alamred message to Hades and Thanatos, who finally got the hint. Nico let out a sigh of relief, as he saw that his father was striding over, and tried to gently pry the bitch from his body, but boy, was she persistent.

"Nico," came his father's smooth voice. _'Just in the nick of time,'_ he thought.

With all of the strength he could muster, Nico wrenched the slut away and straightened his vest, dusting his shoulders. "Yes, father?"

"Poseidon's here and I want to introduce you to his family. Come." Nico nodded, grateful for an excuse to break away from the clingy woman. As he followed his father, he noticed that he had a slight jump in his step and his demeanor seemed a touch cheerier. _'He must be happy to see Poseidon, as I am happy to see his son,'_ Nico thought with a smirk.

"You're going to like the Jacksons," he heard his father say. Nico looked up and smiled.

"Oh, really? How so?" he asked with a curious expression, even though he knew that if they were anything like Percy, he would like them tremendously.

"You'll see," replied Hades with a wink. He led his son to a small group standing by the entrance to their mansion and waved. A man, who was dressed in a blue-green shirt and black pants waved back. Nico noticed that the man resembled Percy closely and figured him to be Poseidon, his soon-to-be father in law.

"Hades, my old friend, how have you been?" came the man's warm, liquidy voice. He held out his arms and hugged Hades, who embraced him back.

"Well enough. How have you and your family been?"

Poseidon broke the embrace and smiled. "We've been doing great. i would like you to meet them. This is Sally, my wife." He gestured to the woman, who blushed when Hades bowed and kissed her hand. "Next to her are my three sons, Triton, Tyson, and Percy."

While his father greeted every person and chatted with them, Nico eyed each person observantly, waiting to be introduced. The first person his father had greeted, Sally if he remembers correctly, was beautiful. _'I can see the resemblance between her and Percy. I can also see why Percy turned out so pretty and cute,'_ he mused. Nico looked up to see Percy's mother staring at him with a calculating eye, as if analyzing him. He smiled and she nodded, as if giving him approval for something, before looking away. Nico stood there with a bemused expression on his face for a moment, until he felt more eyes on him. He looked up to see two sets of brown and green eyes gazing at him.

Triton and Tyson held the youngest son of Hades under a scrutinizing eye. They had heard rumors, pointless gossip about him, but not once had they seen the boy with their own eyes. Now upon seeing Nico for themselves, Triton and Tyson were pleased to find that the Aphrodite siblings were partially right. Nico was as handsome and hot as they said, perfect for Percy. Also, they could see that he was more of the dominant type from his demeanor and attitude, the perfect fit for Percy. Triton and Tyson shared a smirk, _'This guy is right for Perce.'_

Meanwhile, Nico was shifting nervously under the intense gaze of the two brothers. but when he noticed that they were smirking deviously in his direction, Nico didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified. He knew that the smirk could only mean two things; either that he had been accepted as Percy's boyfriend or the two of them had decided on the best way to castrate him that will cause him the most pain at their leisure. Nico shuddered at the thought and hoped that it wasn't the latter, but upon noticing that Triton and Tyson had both nodded at him with a smile right after the smirk, he felt reef blanket his heart. He offered them a soft smile, which they returned ten-fold, but before he could do anything else, Nico felt an arm on his bicep and his body was suddenly pulled forward.

"Father, what -?"

"This is Nico, my youngest son," Hades interjected, completely ignoring his son's unfinished question.

Nico glared at his father, wriggling out of the man's grip. He straightened himself and shook hands with every member of the Jackson family. Upon arriving at Percy, however, he brought the offered hand to his lips and kissed the top of the boy's hand with a suggestive smirk.

"You look lovely today, Perce," he teased. Nico gazed up at Percy to check for his cute reaction. He was not disappointed.

Percy yanked his hand from Nico's warm grip with a heavy blush. He sputtered incoherently, causing Nico to smirk and the others to laugh.

"So, I take it that you two know each other?" Hades guessed with a smirk.

"Well, they ought to," Poseidon replied, before Percy or Nico could even think of answering. "After all, Nico is Percy's date."

"He is?" Percy asked uncertainly. Nico just rolled his eyes and grabbed Percy's arm, tugging gently. He pulled the boy's body into his embrace and wrapped an arm around Percy's slim waist.

"I am." Nico felt Percy's body temperature rise slightly and smirked. _'He's too cute.'_

"We should let the two lovebirds alone, then," suggested Triton.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You just want to get to Thanatos."

"You know me too well, little brother. But nevertheless, I must go. My date awaits me, as does Tyson's." With a wink to the youngest, Triton waltzed away to find his date.

"So, you have a date, too," Percy said, addressing Tyson. "Who's the lucky girl?"

Tyson blushed. "It's Ella," he mumbled.

"Ella?" Percy repeated. "That's really sweet. You have my approval, little brother. Now, go to your date."

Tyson broke into a grin. "Thank you, big brother. And just so you know, I approve with your boyfriend. But if he hurts a single hair on your head, he'll regret ever crossing paths with me and Triton. Anyways, have fun with Nico, big brother." Then, he ran off to find the red-haired girl.

"We'll leave you two alone, too," Poseidon decided. "Hades and I have some catching up to do." With a wink, he said, "We might be planning on getting to know each other again on the terms of in-laws. You never know."

Percy laughed and leaned back against Nico, squeaking when the Italian tightened his hold around his middle. He blushed even harder at the intimate position they were in, while Nico just smirked.

"I'll take good care of Percy, Mr. Jackson. You can go and enjoy your evening."

"Call me Poseidon," the Jackson replied with a smirk. "And, Percy? Your mother and I give you permission to stay the night. Just remember not to be too loud. You might disturb the guests."

"You don't need to worry about that, sir," Nico assured. "After Jason had been caught with Piper, Father had ordered all the rooms to be soundproof."

"I like this one," Poseidon commented to Sally. "Now then, may I have this dance?" He bowed and held out his hand with a smile. Sally laughed and placed her hand over his.

"I'd love to." And with that, Poseidon whisked Sally away, leaving Percy and Nico alone, while Hades left to greet Zeus, who had just arrived.

"Alone at last," Nico sighed into Percy's hair. Percy laughed and escaped Nico's hold.

"So, you're my date," he stated. "What brought this on?"

Nico shrugged. "Does this matter?"

"We haven't even kissed yet," Percy argued halfheartedly. "If we are going to date, I want it to mean something."

"We did kiss," Nico replied. "And, this relationship is going to mean something. Something precious. Something extraordinary." With every word, Nico stepped closer to Percy until their chests almost touched. "Would you like me to prove it to you?"

Percy shivered. "Did you feel it, too?"

"Feel what, Perce?"

The said boy stepped back and gestured to the space between them. "This."

"Of course," Nico answered with a slight chuckle and a sincere smile. He pulled Percy close and gripped the boy's chin, bringing his head up to look at him. "When I first met you, I immediately knew that you were mine. The attraction was undeniable. You were so perfect and when I saw that you could fight, it turned me on. And when I had to leave, I moped around the house for days because I couldn't see you. Just ask Jason. He knows -" But before he could say anymore, Percy pressed his lips tentatively against him, efficiently cutting off any words he could say.

"What was that for?" Nico asked, after they broke apart. Percy blushed and averted his eyes to the ground.

"Think of it as a gift repayment," he murmured.

"Oh? So, am I your date?"

Percy nodded, glancing up at Nico with flushed cheeks and a wide smile. "Yeah. What you said was so sweet and cute. I know you're telling the truth."

"Well, whether you already know that I am telling the truth or not. I am still going to prove it to you."

"How so?" Percy wondered. Nico smirked and winked at the other, who blushed even harder.

"With hot, mind-tingling sex, of course." Nico smiled softly. "But, only if you're ready."

Percy perked up at the considerate thought and returned Nico's smile. "Of course, I'm ready. With you, I'm always ready."

The Italian simpered and began loosening his tie. He popped the first two buttons on his dress shirt and unbuttoned the cuffs of his sleeves, rolling them up to his elbows, much like the way Percy was dressed. "It's getting hot in here, isn't it?" he wondered aloud, glancing over at Percy, who was smirking.

"Oh, so you feel it, too, Nico? We should go somewhere with less people, to, you know, cool down." Percy winked and Nico immediately knew that the boy had caught on with what he was implying.

"I think I know the perfect place," he said running a hand through his hair, still continuing with the charade for the fun of it. "Follow me." He reached for Percy's hand and smiled when he felt the other grasp his hand rather tightly. Nico tugged lightly on his love's arm and led him through the throng of people, until they stopped at a staircase.

Nico scanned the area and peered over his shoulder. _'Good, no one followed us.'_

"Something wrong?"

Nico shook his head. "No. Just making sure that no one followed us. We wouldn't want to be interrupted, would we?"

"I guess not," Percy replied with a laugh. "So, where does this lead to?"

"Our rooms, the kitchen, the gaming room, to list a few."

"Then, what was that room we were in?"

Nico smirked. "That was our living room and also, our sitting room for the guests."

"What?" Percy's eyes widened comically. "_That_ was just your living room? That's three times the size of my living room, at least."

The Italian just shrugged. "My dad believes that if you have wealth, you should show it off."

"Typical."

"That's true," Nico said with a shrug, "but, your father is probably the only one in the Big Three, who thinks otherwise."

"That's because he believes in coziness and comfort, not just wealth."

"I presume so, but I suggest we continue this lovely conversation somewhere else. Somewhere private."

"Like your room?"

Nico laughed. "Exactly. Like my room." Reaching for Percy's hand again, he led the other boy up the stairs, down several hallways, until he reached a solid wooden door. Here, Nico released his hand and opened the door.

"This is my room."

. . .

Nico's room - or, as Percy had nicknamed it, Nico's suite - was simply breathtaking. The room was large, immensely so, bit not without the comfort of it being cozy. There was an unexplainable warmth that surrounded the room, only to be further amplified by the walls of a rich, brown hue that reminded Percy of dark, golden honey or warm, caramel chocolate. The room was reminiscent of something that Percy's mind couldn't wrap around - Nico. Everything inside the room reminded him of the Italian. The walls reminded him of Nico's velvety voice. The warmth represented the Italian's body heat and sexy figure. In all seriousness, Percy wholly believed that the room was a basic representation of Nico do Angelo.

"Wow," was all he could say.

"So, do you like it?"

"Yeah. Ummm.. it's so.." Percy raked his mind trying to find the right word for it. Nothing came to mind, as Percy's brain had apparently stopped working for a moment.

"It's so what?" Nico pressed with a smirk. He found Percy's in-eloquence to be quite amusing and cute.

Immediately after the question was asked, Percy's mind had decided. "It's just so _you._ It's just how I imagined it. Not that I was imagining how your room looked or how I would look in your bed, of course." He blushed at what his mouth just spilled and clamped a hand over his lips, before anything else could be said. Percy mentally cursed himself for sounding so much like a stalker in front of Nico. _'Gods, it sounds like I just ruined any chances with a relationship with Nico. It's not normal for me to be this shy, either. But then again, it's Nico. Everything is different with Nico.'_

"That's really cute, Perce." Honestly, he did find the boy's rambling to be cute and quite endearing. It was sweet to hear how much the boy wanted him. _'Interestingly enough, it appears that Perce is shy when it involves the bed.'_ He chuckled._ 'Or rather, he's shy when it involves me.'_

"It is?" The boy's incredulous tone was enough to make him preen.

Nico chuckled. "Trust me, it is, but there are more pressing matters at hand."

"Like what?"

"Proving my love for you is one," he elaborated, marveling at Percy's blush. He wondered how far down Percy could flush and felt himself harden at the thought. "Making love with you is another."

Percy swallowed the lump that formed at his throat. Just from Nico's words, he was already aroused. "Aren't they the same things?"

Nico shook his head, smirking. "Oh no, they are two totally different things."

"How?" wondered Percy.

"I'll show you." Nico cupped Percy's cheek and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. He savored the boy's sweet, yet slightly salty taste, and ran his tongue against Percy's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Percy immediately complied and Nico dove in with vigor.

An immediate taste of sea salt and sugar invaded Nico's mouth, as their tongues battled for dominance, a battle which Nico won, since Percy did not give much of a fight. And once again, Nico was reminded of how he had fallen for the siren of a boy in the first place.

Ever since Nico had met Percy that other day in the club, he was smitten with the boy. Every waking moment was spent thinking about him and his brilliant sea-green eyes, pining for when he will see him again. Nico knew that it was uncharacteristic of him to act like so, but there was something different about Percy. The boy drew him in like a moth to a flame. He had fallen in love at first sight, which was inexplicably cliché, but Nico couldn't bring himself to care.

The kiss ignited a spark in Percy's body that fueled the heat in his lower regions. Everything he felt had intensified and Percy couldn't help, but think of how perfect the moment was. He felt complete in Nico's arms and loved when the Italian's sensual lips devoured his in a kiss. Everything was absolutely perfect and Percy knew that this was love. He had never felt anything so powerful before, but he knew that he wanted to feel it again and again.

They broke their kiss and gazed at each other, memorized by their expressions. Nico felt his cock twitch deep in the confines of his pants when he set his eyes on Percy, who was flushed in the face with a delectable blush gathering at his cheeks, ears, and neck. The boy was panting softly with his kiss-swollen lips a lush red color that just begged to be kissed. Nico had no choice, but to obey.

He pulled Percy into another kiss and began undoing the buttons on Percy's blazer. Percy noticed what Nico was doing and without breaking the kiss, he fumbled with the buttons on Nico's vest and helped the Italian slip out of the annoyance. It fell to the floor and laid there, forgotten alongside Percy's blazer. As their kiss became more heated with a delicious dance of tongue, more articles of clothing fell to the ground, pooling at their feet, until they were fully naked.

Nico felt cool air hit his erection and pulled away from Percy with a hiss. His eyes snapped open and he marveled at the picture Percy made in front of him. "Mio bello, you are perfect."

The said boy blushed and Nico found that the crimson tint did go all the way down. With a smirk, he picked up his lover bridal style and carried him to the bed, gently laying him on the soft sheets.

Percy let out a soft _eep_ and squirmed under Nico's intense gaze. He suddenly felt bashful, lying in the Italian's bed, baring his soul and body to the boy. He made a move to cover his body, but Nico had grabbed his hands, holding them down, and straddled his legs, giving him no room to move. Percy struggled to break from Nico's hold, but the Italian shook his head.

"Don't hide your body, mio bello. You're absolutely gorgeous, beautiful in every way." Nico released Percy's hands when he saw that the boy was intensely blushing, instead of struggling, and began kissing a trail of fervent open-mouthed kissed down the boy's chin to his neck, taking Percy's soft moans and sighs as encouragement. He licked Percy's jugular, feeling the boy shudder from the action, and sucked the skin into his mouth, pulling it taut. Percy gasped from under him, as he nipped and sucked on the skin. Once he let go the stretch of skin, an angry mark was left on the unmarred skin, marking Percy as his. Satisfied with the results, Nico moved onto Percy's nipples.

Percy stifled a scream, as Nico latched onto one of his nipples, caressing it with his tongue and rolling the other with his hand. He had always known that his chest was a sensitive area, but he never knew the extent of his sensitivity. Every sensation sparked a reaction in his lower region. The dual simulation on his nipples was arousing him more than ever, enough to cause a little precome to dribble out of his erection.

Nico toyed with Percy's peaked, sucking and tugging gently on them until they were hard and stiff. He paused in his ministrations and examined his work. The dusky peaks were hard and had turned a dark pink color, just the way he wanted them. And they tasted just like he had imagined, too; sweet, like a ripened pomegranate, but yet tangy, like sea salt. He licked his lips, chasing the delicious flavor of his love._ 'Delicious.'_

"N-nico?" Percy's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Why'd you stop?" The innocent question made his heart soar and the delicate blush decorating Percy's cheeks made his erection sore.

"Ah, I apologize, mio bello. I wanted to see how your delicious nipples turned out. It should me illegal how wonderful they taste and red they can turn. It makes you look really sexy." Percy didn't reply. He was too engrossed with his blushing to think up a reply to such embarrassing praise. He just turned his head and looked away from Nico's dark eyes. But, the Italian wouldn't have it. He took Percy's chin in his and turned the boy's head to look at him.

"I want you to look at me when we have sex. Your eyes are absolutely beautiful. I don't want you to hide your brilliant emeralds. So, please look at me."

Percy nodded in reply and kept his gaze on Nico. With a satisfied grin, Nico pulled away from Percy's chest and traveled lower, continuing his tour of the boy's body.

He trailed soft, delicate kisses on Percy's skin, admiring how the skin covered every contour and curve of his love's body so beautifully, until he reached Percy's navel. Nico dipped his tongue into the bellybutton and speared the tip, mimicking the action that was to come. He felt Percy shiver and smiled at how responsive his love was. Nico continued mock-fucking Percy's navel for a while, until Percy was reduced to a mess of flailing limbs and stopped his ministrations altogether. Percy let out a whine, but Nico silenced him by reaching up and pulling into a kiss.

To Percy, the kiss was gravity-defying. He felt the world shudder on its axis, as the kiss overwhelmed his senses. Percy moaned and Nico took this opportunity to delve his tongue into the boy's sweet cavern. The slick muscles danced in perfect harmony and their kiss-turned-make-out-session became so much more.

Nico reached down and blindly groped for Percy's erection. Upon touching the section of hot skin, Nico wrapped his hand around the shaft and gave it a long, languid stroke. Percy moaned in his mouth, encouraging Nico unintentionally, and bucked his hips up, in an attempt to cause friction. Their bare erections touched and it sparked a feeling of pleasure and a yearning for even more friction, making the two boys harder than ever.

Nico broke the kiss, unable to take anymore, and slid down on the bed, until he was directly in front of Percy's cock. He ran his tongue along his bottom lips, wetting the skin, and glanced up at Percy. "Before I start anything, do you want me to use a condom?"

Percy shook his head vigorously, his mind still somewhat dazed from the pleasure he was experiencing. "No," he answered, his voice cracking. "I'm clean."

"Good, I want to feel you against me." He wrapped a hand around Percy's erection again and began stroking it slowly from the base all the way up to the tip, rubbing a blunt nail against the slit and spreading the precome. He reached up over to his bedside table, still stroking Percy, and grabbed the bottle of lube that had had prepared earlier. Then, he resumed his position in front of Percy's cock.

Percy moaned and cried out a broken version of Nico's name, as the said boy began to increasingly stroke his cock faster and faster. The pleasure was making him harder than he had even been before. He was nearing his orgasm and was reaching its peak when Nico cruelly let go of his erection. He let out a whine and arched his back to capture some of that friction again, but Nico was trying hard to stave off his orgasm.

Nico saw Percy's venomous glare, but he just shook his head and put a finger to his lips. He watched Percy raise his eyebrows in confusion and smirked. Before Percy could even react, he engulfed the unsuspecting boy in his mouth and swallowed.

Percy practically roared when he felt a warm, slick heat envelop his hard-on. He tried to buck into Nico's mouth, but the Italian held down his hips and kept him grounded, as he endured the great pleasure of Nico's hollowing cheeks and wickedly talented tongue.

But pretty soon, the pleasure gave way to discomfort, as he felt a slick fingertip at his entrance. Nico noticed Percy's discomfort and sucked harder on the boy's cock, making sure to lightly scrape his teeth against the head for added affect. And, it resulted in Percy almost screaming, as his cock hardened to the point of being brutally rigid. Nico took this chance to slide his finger in and found that Percy was fairly tight around his finger. Pushing his finger in further up to the second knuckle, he head Percy let out a strangled scream.

He glanced up at the boy, abruptly stopping. "Something wrong, Perce?"

"N-no. It's just been so long, since I've had sex. Don't stop. I'll adjust," Percy gritted out. There was a dull pain in his lower body. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but since he hadn't had any sex in a while, he had to get accustomed to the discomfort and the pain of preparation. It was a necessary evil.

Percy groaned, as Nico slid in another lubed finger. He pushed against the Italian out of reflex and found that the pain was slowly becoming pleasurable. Percy was starting to remember why he loved to bottom. As Nico's fingers probed deeper, delving into his anus, and scissored to stretch him wider, Percy prayed for the Italian to find that one delicious spot that would him over the edge. He was dangerously close to spilling into Nico's deft hands, but it was not enough to push him over the edge. _'Oh gods, is he trying to torture? If he keeps going, I'm positive I'll die from orgasm denial. Oooh, goods. Fuckk. by the gods, finallyy..'_

Nico smirked, as Percy screamed. "Found it."

"No shit, Sherlock," hissed Percy when an insistent fingertip ghosted over his prostate teasingly. He felt his erection harden even further with a small spat of come dribbling off the tip. A low growl rumbled deep from his throat, urging Nico to do more.

The growl had to be the sexiest sound Nico had ever heard. With a smile, he slipped in another finger with the assurance that the pleasure would mask Percy's pain and pressed firmly against the gland, only this time, he rubbed. He watched Percy's mouth open in a scream, as the boy's head hit the pillow with a thud, falling apart gloriously into his hands. Ropes and ropes come splattered his hand and with a grin, Nico slipped his fingers out of the boy, as Percy continued to spill his seed in the most intense orgasm he had ever had.

Once he was off his orgasmic high, Percy noticed that he was still impossibly hard. He sat up and jumped on Nico, planting his lips over the Italians, as a sort of thanks for such a wonderful orgasm. Their teeth clinked during the initiation of the kiss, but neither boy seemed to care. Nico was focusing wholly on Percy and was starting to like this bold side of the boy, even though the shy side of the boy, even adorable. Percy, on the other hand, was trying to pleasure Nico as best he could by stroking the boy and kissing him with all his might, as a means to repay him. Nico didn't really mind that he was being pleasured by his guest when he was supposed to be the host, but he had to stop Percy before he came. If he did come, Nico wanted it to happen when he was inside Percy. Call it initiate or possessive, but that's what he wanted. It was a carnal instinct that he could ignore.

"Perce, Perce, stop." He gently pulled a bemused Percy off of him.

Percy furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

Nico shook his head. "No. Far from it," he replied. "But, I don't want to came right now. It's too early." Here, he smirked. "I want to come when I'm inside you."

Chuckling at Percy's blush, he grabbed the boy's shoulders and gently laid him on his back. Nico pressed his lips against Percy's temple and asked, "Are you ready?"

"With you, I'm always ready. But in this case, yeah, I am," Percy replied with a smile. He wiggled his hips enticingly and grinned. "You ready?"

Nico smirked and began pouring the lube generously over his erection, hissing when the cool gel touched the heated flesh. He spread the gel evenly his cock and angled the tip at Percy's ass. "With you, I'm always ready."

Percy felt the tip of Nico's cock pressing against his entrance and he tensed, but Nico did not move. He just rolled his hips teasingly, making sure to rub his erection against Percy's cute pucker. A whine escaped Percy's lips, which Nico silenced with a kiss.

"Shh, mio bello. I want you to relax. If you don't, I can't enter you and where's the fun in that? Just relaz, Perce," Nico advised. Percy nodded and tried to release the tightened muscles of his ass. He felt the head slip in slightly and a burning pain followed. Percy hissed angrily, as he felt himself being penetrated, albeit slowly. _'Fuck, it has been too long. Oh gods, it hurts so bad. It's not even funny that it hurts so deep. Holy Poseidon's trident, it hurts like hell.'_

"Relax, Perce. You're doing great," coaxed Nico. He relentlessly continued his slow-paced penetration, biting his lips at the pained sounds his lover made, but he knew that he couldn't stop there. The heat surrounding his hard-on was gripping him in a vice-like grip and it was the most erotic feeling he had ever experienced.

Once his full length was inside Percy, he stopped. "You alright, mio bello?"

"Y-yeah, it's just been so long," Percy cried. "Wait a few minutes." The pain was overwhelming. He felt like he was being split in half. Nico was, by no means, a small person. His dick was a formidable length and even despite the generous amount of lube used on him and Nico's dick, the pain still came. But as he lay there, the pain lessened, as he became accustomed to Nico's length. He rolled his hips, alerting the Italian he was ready, and felt his breath, and felt his breath hitch when the action caused the head to press against his prostate, staying there.

In immediate response, Nico pulled out until he was only halfway inside Percy and thrusted back in, hitting home. Both released a simultaneously, as they wondered if they had died and gone to heaven. To Nico, Percy felt absolutely perfect around him. It was as if they were meant to be. As with Percy, Nico felt right inside of him. The Italian went deeper than anyone had ever gone before and he reached every little contour that fingers or a simple toy couldn't. He felt like a burning inferno, while Nico was the ice that cooled him down. Percy couldn't find a single flaw. It was that perfect.

Nico began an even pace, pulling almost all the way out and slamming back into Percy at a breakneck pace. The patience had before had worn thing, until it frayed completely, as he wanted to feel as much of Percy as he could get, even if it wasn't the slow and passionate sex he had wanted, not that Percy minded. In fact, he was just as involved as Nico.

Percy certainly didn't mind the change of pace. Every thrust hit home at his prostate, creating a current of lightning that coursed through his body. The grunts and moans Nico let slip only served to arouse him more. It wasn't the slow, first night kind of sex he had expected, but it was a pleasant surprise for the both of them.

Their orgasm came onto them soon after. All it took for Percy was one particularly hard thrust against his overly-abused prostate and he came. The world felt like it had stopped on its axis, as had time, when Percy's cock swelled until the tension became too much for him to hand and he orgasmed, splattering ropes of come on both of their chest, with Nico's name on his lips. Nico felt Percy orgasm and thrusted harder and deeper, as the boy's clenching and unclenching muscles pushed him over the edge. He slammed into Percy one last time all the way and came, his come streaming over Percy's prostate and filling the boy. His mouth was open in a wordless cry, but a strangled version of Percy's mouth could be heard. Nico collapsed beside Percy and pulled out. He laid there with Percy for a moment, letting their bodies soak in the post-coital bliss.

Nico sighed happily, then he sat up, against his protesting muscles, and grabbed two fluffy white towels that were conveniently lying beside them. He threw one at Percy, who caught it lazily, and wiped himself down with the other. There was a sticky sheen of sweat mingled with come on his body and he hastily wiped it off. The sex may have been great, but the clean-up afterwards was a hassle.

Once they finished their cleaning, Nico threw the towels into a hamper and crawled in beside Percy, pulling the covers over them. Percy had already closed his eyes and snuggled into Nico.

"Nico," he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes, Perce?"

The said boy murmured something inaudible.

"What?"

"I love you," repeated Percy in a low whisper, snuggling into Nico's chest. Nico smiled and wrapped his arms around him.

"Ah. _Ti amo_, _mio bello_. I love you, too." He kissed Percy's temple and closed his eyes. '_I guess the saying is right,'_ he thought with a yawn._ 'Three times is the charm.'_

* * *

**And, that is the end. Of Nico/Percy anyways.. I hope you liked the lemon. It's not my best because it's my first time, but I hoped it was satisfactory. I don't have much to say, but I hope you enjoyed it. ********The perspective may be wrong in some places, like Nico may be written in when it's Percy or vice versa. Please tell me and I will try to fix it. **Sorry I took so long. Please review and look out for the next few chapters, which will be extras that will feature what happened at the bar leading Ethan and Frank to have dates. Review and have a nice day.

**Translation:**

**-Mio bello: My beautiful in Italian  
**

**-Ti amo: I love you in Italian**


End file.
